


Remember Me

by BePassionate24



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV), The Vampire Diaries - L. J. Smith
Genre: Children, F/M, Family Drama, Fanfiction, Heartbreak, Romance, Single Parents, Stelena, tvd
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-21
Updated: 2017-01-17
Packaged: 2018-04-10 10:45:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 62,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4388795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BePassionate24/pseuds/BePassionate24
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU.AH. SEQUEL TO "MUST LOVE DOGS." Six years after leaving just a letter behind as a goodbye. Elena finally returns to Florida in an attempt to reconnect with the son she doesn't know. Stefan is raising Ben & working as Lexi's business partner. They're both about to learn that loving again is easy. But, moving on will be even harder.(Stelena,Klaroline,Datherine,Lexi/Kol)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey all! This is the official and TOTALLY REWRITTEN sequel to "Must Love Dogs" I know that there has been like two other versions of this darn story that I had written before and I keep changing it. But, this is the one that I will be sticking with and I will not be changing it around any longer. I promise! This version is somewhat similar to the very first version I had posted of this story. Although, it is very different. Please remember, I ALWAYS write about the pairings I say my stories are about! This story doesn't start with Stelena. But, we're going to go on a journey of ups and downs until we get to them. Also, there will also be Datherine, Klaroline and Lexi and Kol.  
**

**So, enjoy and thanks so much for reading!**

**Follow me on twitter for updates at: BePassionate_24**

* * *

**Remember Me- Chapter One**

Nothing seemed that different as the sun shined down on her face and the limousine passed by the large palm trees swaying in the breeze. Six years, Elena thought. It was a long time to be away from such a beautiful place, from a place that she had once called _home_. Her jumbled thoughts all froze the moment she felt a light tap of someone hitting her knee.

"We're almost there, right?" He asked with a wide smile, intertwining her fingers with his own as he leaned forward and exhaled deeply. "Do you think they're going to like me?" He was just as nervous as she was. Coming face to face with Caroline and Klaus Mikaelson after she had spent so many years in his London flat without as much of as a thank you card sent his way for allowing her to be there was sending her on a nervous tailspin. "They'll love you." Elena smiled reassuringly, staring back out at the window as the driver drove them closer and closer into the hillside of million dollar homes and a beach front view that was beyond breathtaking.

"How rich are your friends?" He asked with a laugh as Elena leaned her back into the seat and exhaled deeply before she mumbled out. "Very wealthy people...All of them." She said simply, hearing him readjust himself in his seat across from her as he smiled just as she finally looked over at him.

"Do they know you've been seeing your therapist for the last year and a half?" He questioned as she shook her head. Klaus and Caroline hadn't really known much of anything in regards to what Elena had been up to since she called them for help that night after leaving Portland. To be honest, she had felt too guilty for everything she had done to everyone to even keep in contact with them either. After she had faced Stefan, just weeks before leaving the states. She was too torn up to face anyone else. The hurt and pained expression of Stefan's face had haunted Elena for months afterward as she had given Stefan full custody of Benjamin Salvatore, a newborn at the time, who was in good hands- he was with his father and knowing that was enough for Elena to have a piece of mind as she left everything she knew behind to fix herself.

"No." She said quietly as her mind drifted back to the present, feeling the car suddenly come to a full stop as the driver stepped out of the car and smiled at her while extending out his hand. "Welcome back home, Miss Gilbert." He stated. Elena took his hand, hearing her boyfriend grumble something about how the limousine from the airport to her friends house was a bit much.

"You clearly don't know the Mikealson's that well. Caroline used to be a bartender and Klaus. Well, all that man has ever known is how to spend his money. He's great at that, even when he spends it wisely." Elena commented, stepping out into the sun as she looked back at the brown haired young man who had just placed a pair of inexpensive sunglasses over his eyes. Kai Parker wasn't one to brag about his upbringing. He was raised in The Hamptons, his parents owned six different large restaurants nationwide because his dad was a renowned and famous chef. He was the only child and they had sent him aboard for schooling and the possibility to follow his passion of helping people. So, when the very wealthy and charming Klaus Mikaelson had come into contact with Kai about Elena Gilbert. They devised a plan. Elena, wanting to not burden anyone with her problems was sent to London, meeting up with Caroline there as Klaus had made sure that she was living in his old flat, all of her expenses paid.

"Klaus didn't want me to worry. He didn't want anyone to be worried about me. So, he paid for everything over the last six years. I owe him, Kai. Being back here is a big step for me." She said, turning back to him as the driver placed their suitcases down and he reached out to grab her hand. He leaned down and glanced down at their fingers as he smiled sweetly at Elena. "I know, that's why I'm here. To make sure everything goes smoothly." He stated, stepping forward just in time as they both looked up to see a flash of blonde hair rush out of the house as a young woman in a yellow summer dress ran towards them and screamed out Elena's name excitedly. "You're finally here!" She shouted, wrapping her arms around Elena instantly without even giving Kai a second glance. He took a step back, turning back behind him to hand the driver a tip. "Thanks man." He smiled, slipping him some money as he then heard Elena giggle out a laugh when she said. "Well, Mrs. Caroline Mikaelson. I'd like for you to meet someone. This is Kai Parker, my boyfriend."

* * *

"One more push up, come on!" Stefan screamed at her as Katherine glanced up at him with a look of hatred in her eyes. "You are the worst!" She screamed back as Stefan leaned back on the soles of his shoes, laughing. She lifted up her head as he extended out his hand towards her with a smirk.

"Since when did you go all health crazy?" Katherine questioned, sighing as she peeled herself off of the dark blue yoga mat underneath her tired and shaky body. Damon had been out of town for the last two months and Katherine was trying to lose all the baby weight that she had been holding on for the last few years since their daughter, Ella was born. Yet, everything up until now hadn't been working.

"Since I got together with Audrey. You know, Audrey likes her men all lean and sexy." Stefan winked, getting a groan from Katherine and a well deserved eye roll. "I miss the old you, the fun you. The drunk and irresponsible you. Remember when you came into the office at SD Realty and I had to have a pep talk with you so that you could pull yourself together?" She questioned with a small laugh at the memory. So many things had changed since then, she wanted to add with a deep sigh. However, she quickly stopped herself.

"Yeah," Stefan paused, licking his bottom lip and wiping the sweat that was dripping from his eyebrows. He exhaled deeply before stating again. "I'm not that person anymore, lots of things changed me. Good and bad things."

Katherine scoffed, leaning down to pick up her gym bag as she turned back towards him and stated simply. "Your love for Elena changed you. And, then Ben came along. They changed you, Stefan. She changed you first." She clarified, swallowing the lump in her throat because that had been the first time in five years since either of them had even spoken Elena's name.

"We both know how much we've all been through to get me here. I'm working again, I get the weekends off to spend with Ben and the nights off too. I love my job and I love spending time with my son. So, it's a win win." Stefan smiled thinking about the dark brown haired and brown doe eyed little boy that he was the proud father of.

Katherine shrugged her shoulders back, tilting her head to the side. "You've done a good job being his dad, Stefan. You are what he needed and I know that her leaving hurt you more than anything in this world. But, she made the right choice in leaving him with you. If it were me, I wouldn't have picked anyone else for the job. You and Ben are each others, everything." Katherine commented with a small smile, glancing back at the workout room in Stefan's house as she looked over to see him get back up and look out the window, the sun shining down on his exhausted looking face.

"I'm marrying Audrey in a few weeks, Katherine. She is amazing, she's going to be a wonderful step mom to Ben, every one of you guys loves her. And, I've finally moved on and things are good. I just can't live in the past anymore, all I can do now is wish Elena well and hope that she found what she was looking for. That she got the help she needed when she left us." Stefan replied, turning back to his sister in law and inhaling sharply.

"Does Audrey know, about Elena?" Katherine asked, her eyebrows furrowing at the way Stefan's eyes darkened a little.

"She knows everything and she's never said anything bad about it. All she's ever said was that if Elena ever came back and wanted to see our son that Audrey would be okay with it and that she wouldn't get in the way of her time with Ben." Stefan said softly, turning his attention to the door as it pushed open and they both heard a loud giggle and the sound of heavy set paws hit the wooden floor.

"Daddy!" Ben shouted out, running straight into Stefan as he bent down to pick him up. "Hi champ! Missed you today!" He commented, leaving a kiss on his six year old son's beat red cheeks.

"Forgot how much that kid loves the beach and the waves. Also, how much mud and sand this dog of yours tracks inside the house." Audrey frowned, leaning against the door frame as she waved politely at Katherine and smiled over at Ben and Stefan who were clearly immersed in each others company. It was almost as if neither of the women were even in the room with them as Stefan laid down on the floor and tickled Ben's sides until the little boy shrieked with laughter and alerted the old looking German Shepard with his dark gray hairs on his face and husky frame.

"How was he today?" She questioned, pointing to Katherine who looked as if she couldn't stand on her feet for much longer. "Rude, exhausting. A trainer from hell. You know, the usual. Look, I should actually get going. My kid is coming home from school in a little bit and I need to go pick up the little one from my mother in laws house. Poor Maria has been stuck with a very demanding five year old little girl all day." Audrey took a step away from the door and looked back at Ben and Stefan, allowing Katherine to pass although stopping her for a minute as she latched her hand against her wrist.

"Kat, I wanted to ask you something." Audrey paused, giving Katherine a wave of her hand as she ushered them into the next room so that Ben and Stefan couldn't hear anything. Closing the door behind them, she leaned against it and closed her eyes for a moment before speaking. "What's going on?" Katherine questioned with a small hint of worry as the dark haired brunette pushed herself away from the door and exhaled deeply. "I found out Elena's address from Caroline and Klaus. I didn't say why I needed it. But, I sent an invitation to our wedding to Elena in London."

Stunned, Katherine glanced down at the floor before she looked back up into Audrey's blue eyes. "I didn't think anything of it. Just a nice gesture." She stammered out as Katherine scoffed.

"A nice gesture? Sending your fiance's ex an invitation to his wedding to you! Oh my god, Audrey. What's wrong with you, woman!" Katherine nearly yelled, clutching her long curly strands of hair as she took a seat in one of the sofa chairs in the room. "Why would you do that?"

Audrey shrugged her shoulders back, giving Katherine a saddened look. "I grew up without a mother, Katherine and I don't want that for Ben. I know what that's like to not have someone that important in my life. My dad did the best he could raising my brother and I. He did everything for us and I love him so much for it. But, Listen, I don't want to replace Elena for any of you, especially for Ben. Honestly, I sent the invitation out because I thought that maybe she'd wanted to see her son again after all this time. That maybe she was better now." Audrey wiped back the tears in her eyes as she thought about the little boy. While choking back tears she added in. "Ben should have all three of us in his life. Not just me and Stefan. Elena is his mother. She deserves to know him."

"She's his mother? Audrey, she abandoned him! She couldn't deal with being a mother to him! Damn it, before you came into the picture. I was more of a mother to that little boy than Elena ever was! I was the one who drove him to the hospital while clutching his fathers hand and telling him that everything was going to be okay after Ben almost stopped breathing in the middle of the night from an asthma attack!" Katherine yelled out angrily. Caroline and Klaus had seemed to be the only ones on Elena's side after she had picked up her things and left. Even after all these years, Damon and Katherine had still been dealing with trying to forgive her. However, they just couldn't seem to get over the fact at how much Elena's departure had hurt Stefan and ultimately Ben too.

Katherine leaned back into her seat, a bit speechless as to what she wanted to say back to that confession. She knew how sweet and loving Audrey was to Stefan and to Ben. Although, she never really knew much about her. Audrey Whitmore's family was a bunch of college professors and her father had inherited millions after the passing of her grandmother. She had gone to school in Florida and had spent most of her summers in California. A beach bum, she had proudly called herself the night that Stefan had ran into her leaving Lexi's office and asked her out on a date, two years after tip toeing around each others feelings for one another.

"I was an intern at Lexi's design firm and then I became Stefan's assistant. He rarely talked to me though. I used to watch him sit in his office after we were closed and he'd just stare at this framed picture on his desk of this woman, himself and a baby in her arms. I didn't know it then. I didn't know anything about him because he didn't talk to me. But, Lexi set us up on a blind date after years of watching him attempting and failing to move on from Elena. Then, I knew more. I knew that the tears in his eyes were from crying over a woman that I could never even attempt to replace in his heart. But, I could try to mend it." Audrey told her as Katherine nodded and inhaled sharply.

"Like I said, I don't want to replace her. Although, I do want her to know her son. He is an amazing little boy and she might not have been able to deal with being a mom back then. But, maybe now she can learn to be one with a little bit of guidance. I'm not saying this is going to be easy and that she'd even want to do this or be a part of our lives. But, I don't think it's fair for you all to hate her for leaving because she thought she was doing the right thing. I read the letter she left Stefan. I've read it a million times and Elena made a choice. She was sick and she needed help. You shouldn't blame her for that." Katherine licked her bottom lip, shaking her head and ready to disagree. But, the look in Audrey's eyes stopped her from becoming angry again and suddenly she was intrigued at the woman's forgiveness for someone she had never even met.

"None of you probably know what it was like for her. I couldn't imagine what it was like for her either. But, I have seen it. My own mother suffered from postpartum depression for years before she left us. It was only up until a few years ago that we reconnected and I was mad at her for so long for leaving that I regret it now. She missed so many things in my life because of my angry towards her." Audrey sighed out a breath, glancing down at the floor. "I don't want that for Ben either. I want him and Elena to have a relationship and I just hope that she's able to forgive herself. Because, that is one thing that my mother never could do." She confessed, clearing her throat as Katherine got up from the seat she was sitting in and placed her hand gently on Audrey's shoulder before pulling her into a tight hug. "You did the right thing, sending out that invitation. I just want to know one little detail." She paused, watching the brunette's blue eyes twinkle with a bit of relief before she added in. "Does Stefan know about any of this? Does anyone know about it except for Caroline?"

Audrey shook her head and looked down at her red colored flats nervously as she stated. "Caroline told me it wasn't a good idea. But, I didn't listen. And, Stefan has no idea about it at all. To be honest, I didn't want him to know because he probably would have stopped me."

* * *

"Daddy, Duke got all muddy and pulled mommy Audrey into the mud!" Ben giggled as Stefan rested his head against his arm and the two boys stared up at the ceiling.

"Ha, I bet Duke loved that!" Stefan smiled, turning on his side to stare back at his son.

"Yeah. But, mommy Audrey didn't." Ben shyly laughed, leaning into his dad and inhaling deeply. Stefan watched as Ben backed away from him with his nose crinkled and his brown eyes wide. "You smell like bad."

Stefan couldn't help but back away and give his son a surprised look. "Oh, I do huh?"

"Yeah, like poop." Ben giggled out as Stefan paused and smiled shockingly at his son. "What did you just say?" He asked in between laughs.

"I said you smell bad, daddy!" Ben excitedly shouted out, getting up from the ground to run towards the door and outside of the gym before Stefan could stop him.

"Not so fast little man! Come back here!" Stefan shouted, getting up and running towards Ben who was shrieking loudly and laughing as he tried to run away right before Stefan hoisted him up into his arms and placed his lips against Ben's neck, allowing a little bit of air to escape past his lips which forced a loud rumbling noise from the contact. Ben squirmed and giggled, laughing so much so that Audrey who was talking to Katherine had now ran back into the room and was looking at them playing with each other as Stefan raised Ben above his head, pretending to be a fake airplane engine as Ben made fighter jet noises. She closed the door as she shook her head and without interrupting the boys, went back to into the other room.

"Daddy?" Ben questioned as Stefan smiled up at him, holding him tightly up in the air.

"Yeah, Ben." Stefan asked sweetly, a proud and excited smile never leaving his face.

"Momma Audrey was talking to auntie Caroline on the phone today and she sounded really sad." Ben pointed out, feeling Stefan suddenly stop their play time and gently place him back on to the ground.

"She did?" Stefan questioned as Ben nodded his head while Stefan bent down and stood in front of him.

"What did she say?" Stefan asked as Ben shrugged his shoulders back and placed his hands onto his dad's stubble covered cheeks.

"She talked about the wedding and then she almost dropped the phone into the ocean because Duke pulled her after seeing one of those loud gray birds." Ben commented nonchalantly as Stefan leaned forward, brushing his nose against Ben's.

"Hm, well. I'll have to talk to her about that." Stefan said more to himself than out loud as he stared back at Ben who still had his little hands on each side of his face.

"Daddy, can Duke be in the wedding?" He asked with a bright smile as Stefan shook his head with a laugh, leaving a kiss on Ben's forehead. "Sure, he can be part of it."

"Good." Ben stated proudly, backing away from Stefan and extending out his hand to his father. "Where are we going?" Stefan asked as Ben smiled up at him and shrugged his shoulders when he stated. "Anywhere daddy, anywhere."

* * *

"Your therapist?" Caroline nearly spat out as she leaned back into the lawn chair and watched Klaus and Kai talking just feet away near the fire pit that Klaus was setting up. Both men seeming friendly with each other as they spoke about sports and living in London.

"Yeah. He was there, he listened and well, he kept asking me out on a date. I rejected him multiply times until he brought the date to one of our sessions. He said that if I wouldn't date him, then at least we could have lunch together, an informal date." Elena elaborated, there wasn't much else to say. If she loved Kai wasn't really a question. She did love him. But, it wasn't the same kind of love that she had once felt with Stefan. With Kai, it was more of an understanding of sorts. He understood her and she understood him. The rich kid from the Hamptons who had left it all behind to reinvent himself. Like, Elena, Kai had been living in London for a few years now and had been too wrapped up his work for any sort of dating or to even start a relationship at all. And like Elena, Kai had also been trying to get over a long term relationship that he had blamed himself for ruining.

"So, he knows everything?" Caroline asked, passing by her as she squeezed her shoulder gently.

"Yeah. He does. He's the one that suggested I come back home..." Elena's voice trailed off as she exhaled deeply. Caroline glanced back over at her with a bit of confusion on her face as the brunette reached for her purse, pulling out a nicely off white envelop addressed to _Miss Elena Gilbert._

"I got this in the mail, two days before we flew out here. I haven't opened it yet because I'm not sure who it's from. No one really was supposed to know that I was in London, Caroline. So, I brought this with me hoping that you'd be able to tell me who this is from?" Elena asked Caroline, handing her the envelop and watching the blonde holding tightly on to the heavy fancy looking envelop in her shaking hands.

"What is it?" Elena asked softly, watching Caroline lick her bottom lip, looking back at Klaus as she waved the envelop towards her husband. "Elena, we need to talk. There's something I should have mentioned before you came." Caroline, exhaled deeply taking a seat back down as she leaned forward and captured Elena's hand into her own. The brunette watched with a curious gaze as Caroline's blue eyes softened and she handed Elena back the envelop as she said. " The person who sent this to you, Audrey Whitmore. Well, she is Stefan's new fiancee and she sent this to you. Because they're getting married in three weeks. But, it's not because of that. The truth is, Audrey just thought that you'd like to come back home to see your son before she became Ben's step mom."

* * *

**A/N: Please comment, favorite and follow this story if you like it and please let me know if you want to read more. :)**

 


	2. Chapter Two

* * *

**Remember Me- Chapter Two**

"Dad!" Izzie smiled, placing her laptop on to the kitchen table as Damon smiled back at his daughter. He was excited to talk with her since he missed her tremendously. He had been in California for two months now, trying to get more press and recognition for the interior design firm which his younger brother and Lexi Branson now owned together in Miami.

"When are you coming home, dad? Mom's been driving me nuts and so has Ella. She's been going over to Grandma's for sleepovers. But, she's also been following me around everywhere. She wants to do everything I do!" Izzie rambled on as Damon leaned his head back and laughed. "I'll be home soon, sweetheart. I promise. I just need to be here for one more week because your uncle Stefan needs me to be here for at least two more meetings for his new firm.

"Ugh, Branson and Associates!" Izzie commented with a hint of irritation. She loved her uncle and she loved that Stefan and her dad were working together again. But, Izzie really hated that she barely got to see her dad very much.

"It's my job, Iz. It's what keeps food on the table and us living in our nice big house." Damon reminded her, looking past his daughter and brightly smiling as the door behind her opened up widely and he could hear Katherine's voice talking to Ella.

"Daddy!" Ella shrieked, walking over to her sister's lap and sitting in it as Damon waved and blew a kiss to his girls. "Hi honey. How was grandma's?" He asked Ella as she leaned into the computer and kissed the screen. "Good." Ella said with a bright blue eyed gaze, her chocolate brown curly hair falling to her shoulders as Izzie played with her hair.

"Finally skyping with the girls, I see. So, when are you and I going to have a private skype date?" Katherine teased with a wink, leaning against the chair behind their daughters as Damon nodded, licking his lips as he exhaled heavily with a laugh. "Soon." He said in a charming tone as Katherine smirked, pushing away from the chair as she told her daughters to go wash up for dinner.

"Ugh, come on mom." Izzie commented, feeling Katherine place her hand against her shoulder.

"Oh, I know. I'm a horrible mother for making sure my kids are feed and actually eating." Katherine spat out with sarcasm, shaking her head and leaning down to kiss the top of Izzie's head. "Now, do as I say and go wash up. I'll finish up talking to your dad." She commented as Izzie slowly got up, telling Damon a quick goodbye and telling him that she loved him and that she'd be seeing him very soon.

"I'll see you both soon too. I love you girls. Be good." Damon warned as they both nodded, leaving the dining room table while Katherine sat down in front of the laptop, lowering the tank top she was wearing a little so that Damon could see a bit of her cleavage. "Oh, honey. I miss those." Damon grinned widely as Katherine laughed.

"I'm sure you do." She winked, her face turning serious suddenly as she pushed back a piece of her hair and explained the latest news to her husband. "So, I saw your brother today."

"Mhmm. How is he? Nervous as all hell about the wedding?" Damon chuckled, watching as Katherine leaned back into her seat and inhaled deeply. "Well, yes. But, I had a really nice, long and detailed conversation with Audrey about her wedding guests." Katherine added on, looking away from the computer screen for a moment as Damon noticed the look of shock in her eyes still a little evident.

"What's the big deal? I thought they were going to invite like 200 people or something. I mean, it's not like my brother knows that many people and it's not like he's going to be inviting Rebekah. Last we all heard from her was that she was in Mexico with Elijah or something..." Damon's voice trailed off as Katherine turned back to look straight in to the camera. "Oh, Rebekah isn't coming honey. But, Elena might be."

Damon choked out a laugh. "What?"

Inhaling sharply and placing her hands in front of her, Katherine nodded her head slowly. "Yeah, well. Stefan's new fiancee really thinks that the old fiancee should see her son. I mean, you know like Elena didn't fucking abandon Stefan and Ben. Like she didn't break Stefan's heart and all that. Like she wasn't around for the last 6 years." Katherine stated angrily as Damon nodded, trying to process everything that his wife had just said. "Oh boy. Well, Stefan's in for a surprise."

Katherine looked behind her, leaning into the computer and whispering softly she confessed to her husband the one thing that Audrey had made very clear to Katherine earlier in the day. "That's the best part of it all. He doesn't even know that Elena's back in town." Damon heard her say just as the girls came back into the room and Katherine sighed deeply. "I'll call you tonight, tell you more about it. Let's just make sure that those two don't run into each other somewhere before the wedding."

Shaking his head, Damon laughed a little. "Florida is a huge state and Miami is an even bigger city. It's not going to happen, Katherine. And, even if they do it's not like Stefan will welcome Elena back with open arms. For goodness sakes, she left without even facing him. Even at the court hearing for custody of Ben, it was awkward between them. I'm pretty sure that it still would be even if she shows up at this wedding."

* * *

"Aren't you going to open it?" Caroline asked anxiously as she watched Elena stare down at the invitation. It had been two hours since she had found out about who Audrey was and Elena stayed silent, trying to make sense of it all. Why would Stefan's new fiancee and Ben's soon to be step mother send her an invitation. It was like this woman didn't realize that Elena hadn't been in contact with either of them at all and that Stefan probably hated her.

"She shouldn't have done this, his new fiancee..." Elena's voice trailed off. There was so much that she wanted to ask about Stefan and Ben, so much that she had missed out on. But, she stopped herself from saying anything else because all she could think of while sitting there was Audrey Whitmore.

"Well, she did and she wants you to apparently be a part of Ben's life too. Elena, it's only if you want to be. If you're ready." Caroline said encouragingly, leaning back in her seat as she watched Kai make his way over to his girlfriend. It was strange, Caroline thought. Seeing Elena with someone that she seemed content in being with because it hadn't been too long ago that she had been that way with Stefan.

"I am ready." Elena said softly, placing her hand on top of Kai's as he took a seat next to her and looked at both women. "Ready for what?" He asked curiously, smiling at them both.

"To officially be back home. To live here again." Elena admitted, feeling Kai lean over and grab a hold of her hand, leaning over as he whispered. "I thought we had already talked about this, together. When we were going to make that choice."

Elena turned her attention away from Caroline, looking right at Kai. "Will you excuse us, Caroline. Just for a minute." Elena asked softly, swallowing down the lump in her throat as tilted her head to the side and watched the blonde excuse herself, walking back inside of the house where Klaus had gone to retrieve a few beers from the fridge.

* * *

"How's it going out there?" Klaus asked, hearing the sliding door open up as Caroline closed it shut behind her and walked over to him, watching his arms open widely as she leaned into him. "Oh you know, Elena keeping secrets from the new boyfriend. It's not anything that she hasn't done before. I mean this guy isn't Stefan by any means. But, seems like they get along." Klaus kissed her forehead, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

"They can't stay here, Caroline." Klaus told her quickly as she nodded her head. "Of course they can't. We have like 8 bedrooms that we don't use. It's not like they wouldn't have any room."

"That's not what I meant and you know it." Klaus warned, unraveling his arms away from his wife as she backed away and leaned her back into the kitchen counter. "So, what do you mean. If Stefan shows up? Oh, god. Klaus, Elena got invited to his damn wedding!"

Caroline watched as his eyebrows lifted and he nearly spat out the beer from his mouth. "What?" He watched Caroline nod. "Yeah, that's what the envelop was about. Audrey sent it to Elena."

"Oh shit!" Klaus mumbled, turning his back to his wife as he exhaled deeply. "Oh shit!" He stammered out again as Caroline gave him a perplexed look. "What is it?" She asked.

"That's why she wanted the London address?" Klaus asked as Caroline nodded. "Yes."

"Does Stefan know? Should he know that Elena's back in town?" Klaus asked in a panic as Caroline pushed herself away from the counter and exhaled deeply. Stefan should have been told, yes. But, it wasn't there place to tell him. Caroline shrugged her shoulders back. "He'll find out, eventually. I'm sure of it." Caroline commented, brushing her nose against her husband's shirt, wanting to change the subject.

"That Kai Parker guy seems nice. What is he, a few years younger than Elena. 26 or something?" Klaus asked with a laugh as Caroline patted his chest. "I guess. You seem to really like him." Caroline said in an observant tone.

"Well, he seems like a nice guy. Thought I could give him a chance." Klaus smiled, kissing her cheek as they both looked out the window and out to the patio where Kai and Elena were talking.

* * *

"Elena, we talked about this. You said that being back here was going to be temporary." Kai commented, pushing up from his chair as he locked his eyes back on to her.

Inhaling sharply, she looked down at the ground for a brief moment. "I know that I did. But, things have changed."

Scoffing, Kai shook his head. "And, what could that possibly be?"

Elena got up too, placing her hands on to his arms, stopping him from leaving the patio as he paced the floor anxiously waiting for her to reply to his words. "My son, Ben. He changed my mind." Elena looked away with tears in her eyes, feeling the guilt of what she had done to them coming back inside of her heart and making it hard to breathe normally. "I wasn't supposed to be away this long, Kai! I wasn't supposed to ever have left. Stefan and I had planned a life together and I ruined it. But, I couldn't take care of myself in the state that I was in. I couldn't feed him, I couldn't even hold or look at my own baby. What kind of mother even does that? It wasn't a question of whether I loved my son or not. I knew in my heart that I loved him. The problem was that I couldn't handle it, being his mother. It pained Stefan so much that he begged me to get help. He said that he was going to pay for everything just as long as I agreed to go..."

Kai's eyebrows raised and he ran a hand through his dark brown hair. "Stefan paid for your treatments? For our sessions?"

Elena shook our head. "No. Klaus did all of that, I told you already. But, I told Stefan that I didn't want anything from him. Except for a simple agreement."

"About what?" Kai asked her, crossing his arms over his chest and pivoting towards Elena to see her face. She was wiping tears away from her eyes, looking shamefully down at her shoes.

"We went to family court. Three months after I left him the letter and I gave him full custody of our son. I told him that I was going far away and that I didn't want him to look for me, to call or to even think about me. I wanted him to move on with his life as I was trying to do because it was easier that way than having what I was dealing with destroy us from the inside out." She explained as Kai took a step to her, reaching out for her and grabbing a hold of her hand. Elena closed her eyes, her bottom lip trembling as she cried out. "So, I called Klaus and asked him to send me to the first place he could think of which was London."

"Elena.." Kai softly spoke, placing his hand on to her cheek and wiping away her tears.

"He doesn't even know me, Kai. My own son has no idea who I am and to be honest that's the reason I want to stay. I need to make up for the time I've lost. I can't have him hating me for a choice I made and I want to see him, you know. Make sure that I made the right choice by leaving him with Stefan." She stated as Kai pulled her into his embrace, placing his hand against her head and stroking her hair gently. "It's okay." He soothed, telling her softly. "We can stay. But, let's just find a place as soon as we can, please." Kai smiled with a laugh, hearing Elena laugh too when he added in. "Because, I like your friends. But, I can't be Klaus Mikaelson's new drinking buddy everyday. That man drinks like a camel and my liver would get pickled in no time."

"Okay. Klaus is kind of a real estate guy. So, I can ask him if he knows anyone in the area who can show us some townhouses or something." Elena commented as Kai kissed her cheek, backing away for a minute when he heard the word "townhouse" leave her lips.

"Oh no, sweetheart. We are not going to be living in Miami and living in a townhouse." Kai replied with a smile before he kissed Elena's lips. "I'd prefer a penthouse. Be sure to mention that to Klaus when you talk about us moving here for good."

* * *

It had been a week since Stefan and Audrey had really talked more about the final wedding details and Stefan had even taken a few days off of work to help her plan a few last minute things. Seating charts and catering plans mostly. However, he was anxious to get back to the office, the morning that Lexi called him and told him that she needed his help. "Look who's finally back!" Lexi grinned as she watched Stefan make his way back to his office, adjusting the tie around his neck while he walked.

"Don't worry, Lex. I've been working. Just mostly from home." He paused, throwing her a smile over his shoulder as she tapped her pen against her desk, smiling widely. Stefan turned towards her with a stack of files in his hands that he had picked off of her desk when he had walked in.

"I know you have. Listen, I got a call this morning..." Her voice trailed off as she stepped into Stefan's office, watching him sit down, Lexi took a seat on the couch that looked out to the beautiful view of the city as she spoke. "Something about your real estate agent. It sounded urgent and she said she needed you to call her back as soon as you could. I told her to try calling your cell phone and she did. But, she didn't get an answer and she said that she didn't feel like leaving a message with you. Instead, she needs to meet with you in person." Lexi explained as Stefan's eyebrows furrowed. The last he had spoken with his real estate agent, Elizabeth. Everything had been in order for them to proceed with a short sale on a penthouse at the Villa Regina Tower Suites. Audrey was in love with the place and so was Stefan, it was perfect for them as a little extra getaway when they needed some alone time.

"I'll call her right now." Stefan stated, hearing Lexi tell him to take a look at the rest of the files on his desk before the end of the work day.

Stefan leaned back into his seat, his cell phone pressed up against his ear as he patiently waited until he heard. "This is Elizabeth. How can I help you?"

Stefan licked his lips, clearing his throat before he spoke. "Liz, It's Stefan Salvatore. I was just calling you back about the penthouse. My business partner had said that you called the office. And-" Cutting him off, Elizabeth exhaled deeply before stressing in a tone that made Stefan a little uneasy. "Why yes. I did call you this morning, earlier." Stefan heard her go silent for a moment, like she was shuffling through a set of papers.

"Ah, here is it. Mr. Salvatore. The penthouse that you and your fiancee, Ms. Whitmore have acquired about and have looked at. Well, I've received a better offer and it looks like the owners of this place have decided that it's come down between you and this other new client of mine."

"Excuse me?" Stefan questioned in a shocked tone as he exhaled deeply and ran his fingers through his hair. They had already placed money aside for the down payment and all the closing fees that he knew they were going to have and now, someone else was trying to come in and pull the proverbial rug from underneath them. Like hell they would! Stefan thought as he rolled his eyes.

"Listen, Elizabeth. Is there any way that I can meet you at the penthouse and we can talk this over?" Stefan questioned as he heard the doorbell to the penthouse ring and the sounds of someone being rushed inside of it.

"Yes, that would be wonderful. My new clients just got here, they wanted to look at the place. How about you just meet me after they leave. I think we'll be done around here in about an hour." She asked as Stefan gritted his teeth back, inhaling deeply through gritted teeth. "Son of a bitch!" He muttered out, shaking his head as he quickly added in. "I have a better idea. How about I show up earlier and meet these new clients of yours. Maybe I can find them another even nicer location. Besides, I used to be a real estate developer, I was the owner of SD Realty, Elizabeth. I can tell you without a doubt that I still have connections in this town and I can find them something even nicer than that particular penthouse."

Elizabeth laughed a little, glancing back at the two people who had just stepped into the penthouse as she watched them glance around the living room, admiring the beautiful view that could be seen from the small balcony.

"Fine. I'll have you come earlier. But, if they offer more money than you've already placed on this place. I'm sorry but I can't say that the owners wouldn't want to go with them." Elizabeth stated, hearing Stefan become agitated by her words. "Who in gods name could possibly have 3.4 million dollars in their bank account to offer up front like I do?" He asked, lifting his feet from his desk as he placed them back on to the floor and added with a calmer tone. "I'll be there in 20 minutes. I can't wait to meet these new clients of yours and bargain for the penthouse that should already be mine and my fiancee's!"

* * *

"Now, over here is the spare bedroom and it also opens up to a beautiful view of the downtown sky scrapers." Elizabeth commented, finalizing the tour of the penthouse as she watched her clients gleeful faces and heard the young man clear his throat. "I should take this. Listen, sweetheart. I'll be out in the car talking on the phone. How about you and Elizabeth talk more details. I love it so far!" He winked, leaning over and kissing whom she assumed was his girlfriend as Elizabeth smiled at them while the young woman nodded and agreed on it.

The door closed behind him as Elizabeth cleared her throat, turning the paper work towards her newest client with a smile on her face. "So, the closing cost and everything else we discussed would be in the offer. I spoke with the original owners of this place and they said that they'd be willing to work out a deal with you and your..." She paused, unsure of the young woman's relationship with the young man who had been with her.

"My boyfriend." She clarified with a small smile, looking down at the paperwork and looking around the penthouse as she closed her eyes, imagining herself living there. It was nice, tranquil. "Does the furniture stay?" She asked quietly as Elizabeth shook her head. "I'm afraid not. But, once the place is cleared out. The two of you can decorate it as you wish." She stated, giving her a small smile.

"That sounds great." Elizabeth heard her say, watching as she gathered the paperwork that had been given to her. "Elizabeth, thank you for meeting us on such short notice and this has really been great. My boyfriend and I will talk this over and maybe once you get a word back from the owners then we can see where else this could go?" Her tone hopeful and her eyes smiling as Elizabeth nodded and lead her out towards the front door. "Certainly. It was very nice meeting you both. I have to lock the place up and I'm heading out as well."

"We could wait for you." Elizabeth heard her offer as she placed her hand on to the door handle and opened it.

"Oh no. It's fine. But, thank you, Miss Gilbert." She stated, opening the door wider and watching as Elena walked down the stairs back to the car. Elena placed her sunglasses over her eyes, attempting to block out the sun that was beating down on her face. Her white summer dress flowing in the breeze as she walked past the office building and was looking down at her cell phone, trying to remember where they had parked their car. "Ugh, Kai. I swear to god that if-." Elena began to say, her thumb hovering over Kai's name in her contacts just as she felt herself fly backwards and then she hit the ground, hard.

Disoriented and looking down at her now ruined white dress that was covered in a bit of dirt, she got up in search of her sunglasses that had flew off of her head and somewhere into the grass. "I am so sorry, I got a call to pick my sick kid up from daycare. I'm in a rush to meet with my realtor and I wasn't paying any attention when I bumped into you. I apologize." She could hear a voice say out loud, sounding overly apologetic as he extended out his hand to help her up, not looking at her face while placing his cell phone back into the back pocket of his jeans and looking down at his son. Elena reached for his hand, feeling him pull her up.

"It's fine." She whispered, her dark brown gaze meeting his and in that moment, she felt her heart sink to the bottom of her chest as he too finally looked up at her with complete surprise and shock in his eyes as he realized who he had just sent down to the concrete ground. Neither of them spoke for a long time as he looked her over, she was still as beautiful as she had been years earlier before she had left and taken a piece of his heart with her. Part of him longed to reach out and caress her hand. But, his thumb stopped itself from brushing against her skin as Stefan looked away, taking a step back.

"Elena! Come on, we're over here!" She could hear Kai shouting in the parking lot as he stood outside near the car, the heat picking up around them as the morning burned off into the early afternoon. Although all Elena could focus on was the dark haired, much older looking man in a pair of dark wash jeans, a red tie loosened around his neck and a seemingly tight gray dress shirt that brought out the familiar green color of his forest green eyes. She took a step closer as he softly said her name as if it was a question, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Because after all these years, he really couldn't believe that she was right in front of him. "Elena?" She heard him say with hesitation in his shaking voice.

She stood frozen in place, wrapping her arms protectively around her waistline as she looked down at the little boy standing behind him, his brown eyes meeting hers as he held on to his father's hand tightly. Elena swallowed the lump in her throat, lifting her eyes slowly to meet his when she heard him say her name and all she could do while fighting back tears in her eyes was utter out a heartfelt apology. "I am so sorry, Stefan. I'm sorry."

* * *

**A/N: Oh snap! Things are about to get REAL messy!**


	3. Chapter Three

**Remember Me- Chapter Three**

Stefan let go of Ben's hand, standing shell shocked in front of the woman he once thought was going to be his wife was pretty tough. She watched him close his eyes, turning her back towards him. Elena was ready to leave, ready to run. It was something that she had become good at lately. Things got tough and she ran. Hell, if she wanted to be truthful with herself. She had been running for six years. From memories. From hurting him. From everything that hurt too much and from everything that made her feel something again.

"I'm sorry." She sniffled, glancing up to meet Stefan's gaze. She could still see the glimmer of shock in his eyes, the love for her long ago diminished and replaced with love for another.

Stefan opened his mouth, wanting to utter out a word, more than just a quick and sharp. "What are you doing back?" Yet, that was all that managed to make it's way past his lips. Elena shuffled her feet back, twisting her fingers together as she tried to think of a good explanation as why it had taken her this long. Although, all she could focus in on was the little boy standing next to his father, the little dirty brown haired, hazel eyed little boy who probably knew thing of the woman who stood in front of him with glazed over tears in her eyes.

Ben. It was simple. That was the real answer why she had come back and wanted to stay away all at them same time. It was their son. It was the knowledge that maybe he knew about her. Maybe.

However, Elena ran her fingers through her hair, exhaling deeply as she cleared her throat and stated. "Caroline and Klaus invited me to your wedding. I got an invitation in the mail and-" She paused, closing her eyes and praying that not a drop of her tears would spill over on to her heated red cheeks. She wanted to be emotionless in the moment, not show him how much she knew this hurt. How much getting the letter from Audrey was a slap in the face and how seeing Stefan standing in front of her now was tormenting. He doesn't deserve this, Elena. She reminded herself quietly as she straightened out her dress and tried to stop the quivering of her bottom lip. Calming herself down took a few minutes too long because by the time she was all composed and looking back up at him again. Stefan, was looking down at Ben and telling him to go sit down on the bench not too far from them.

"What are you doing here?" He crossed his arms over his chest as he asked the question, tilting his head to the side and waiting for her to respond with anything remotely interesting as to why she broke his heart and left.

Elena bite down on her lower lip, inhaling deeply. "I came back for him-." Stefan cut her off, taking a step forward to make his point very blunt.

"You left me with our son, six years ago. There is no way in hell that I'm giving him to you now. I've been too damn busy being his father and his mother. Something you resigned to me so long ago. I'm not giving him to you!" Stefan threatened, taking a step back as he took a brief glance towards Ben who was sitting and playing with Stefan's cell phone.

Elena shook her head, looking Stefan straight in his hurt green eyes as she spoke. "I don't want to take him away from you, Stefan. I just..." Elena shrugged her shoulders back, pausing for a minute before she continued. "I want to get to know him, that's all. I just want to get to know our son. I know that I wasn't there for him or for you and I regret it. I know my mistakes now and leaving you and Ben was the biggest one that I ever made. Please, just let him talk to him."

Stefan scoffed. After six years away from him and their son, she realized her mistakes now? What kind of joke was this?

"You don't get to come back into my life when it's convenient for you and act like everything's fine and that we can just move past these things instantly. It took me years to get over you and I'm finally happy now. I'm getting married to an amazing woman, Elena. And finally not haunted by you anymore. By what we could have had together." Stefan harshly replied, turning his back away from her for a moment as she glanced up at him with a hurt expression coloring her features.

"I know you are and I'm happy for you." She told him, reaching out to reassure him that she surely didn't come home to ruin whatever good was going on for him. "I'm not here to ruin that, Stefan. I'm here to know my son, to make amends and hopefully the two of us can be friends, for the sake of Ben."

"Friends?" He nearly choked out the word as he looked back at her in astonishment. "The last time that you and I tried that, we screwed up. We didn't work. Besides, lovers can never just be friends." Stefan reminded her as Elena nodded.

"You didn't screw up. I did. I didn't know what I wanted, Stefan. I didn't think that I was good enough to be a mother with everything that was going on with me, I wasn't good enough for myself, for you or for Ben. He didn't deserve what I did to him and neither did you. But, please. Let's just, try to start over." Elena told him as he cleared his throat. Maybe starting over was the best thing for them, being friends would work...Wouldn't it?

Stefan clenched his jaw tightly, placing his hands at his sides as he looked away from her once more. Part of him couldn't believe that she was standing in front of him, still beautiful as before, still heart broken over her leaving him the way she did. They had planned it all, a future together. A life that they both had wanted and just when he had thought things were going to be different. Elena did the unthinkable and left. He struggled with the choices in his mind for a long drawn out moment. Until, the part of him that had forgiven her for the things she had done long ago won the battle fairly quickly. "Is that really what you want? For us to be friends? For us to start over and for you to really be a part of Ben's life this time?" He questioned, hesitation creeping into his tone because he couldn't risk it- another heartbreak and watching her storm out of their lives all over again.

She nodded, staring more down at her feet than at him because there was something in his eyes. The look of fear and hurt that made her heart break. "I know that I hurt you, Stefan. But," Pausing to lick her button lip and pull her thoughts together, Elena reached out her hand to him. She knew that he wouldn't do the same. Although, she had to try. She wanted to try and get her point across. "I'm here to stay and maybe when you're ready to listen to me and talk about things. We can get together." She offered, reluctantly lowering her hand down to her sides and pivoting on her heels because as she looked out past where Stefan was standing, Elena could see Kai impatiently still waiting in the car.

"Elena-." Stefan's voice cracked as she stopped in her tracks. The sound of her name rolling off his tongue and the syllables gliding across his moistened lips made Elena's whole body shiver in response. She couldn't feel this way about him anymore, she reminded herself. He was marrying someone else. He had moved on and so did she. At least, that's what she had been trying to do over the last few years with Kai. But, moving on had proven lately that it wasn't going to be easy.

"What?" She asked, a calming demeanor forming across her face.

"It's nice seeing you." Stefan stammered out awkwardly, watching her eyes glisten a little as she nodded and smiled up at him. Stefan watched in silence as she walked back to the car and he slowly made his way towards Ben who had been impatiently waiting for his father. Stefan leaned down towards his son, smiling at him brightly.

"Daddy, I'm hungry and it's hot out here!" Ben whined, grabbing a hold of Stefan's outstretched hand as he held onto it lightly and they walked back towards their car, long ago forgetting about the issues with the penthouse because he was far too stunned by the return of his ex-fiance.

"We're going home, bud." Stefan reassured him, placing his arm around Ben's shoulder as the little boy glanced up at his father curiously and asked. "Dad, who was the lady in the pretty dress you were talking with?"

Stefan stopped, closing his eyes and searching his mind for the right words. He hadn't expected this at all. Elena's return had been the farthest from his mind in years and suddenly, there she was. Questions loomed, wanting the answers he had never really received plagued him.

"I promise that I'll explain it to you all within time." Stefan quietly stated, reaching the car and opening up the backseat as he helped his son climb in. Ben pursed his lips together as Stefan buckled him up and then he blurted out. "Daddy. She had my big brown eyes too."

Stefan nodded. "I know." He swallowed down the word roughly as Ben added on. "But, hers looked really sad, daddy. She looked really, really sad."

* * *

"Red wine, a nice fire. You know, relaxation." Caroling shrugged, handing Elena a wine glass as they sat outside and looked out at the view that was the beautiful Miami skyline, the sun going down in the distance had made the sky a light orange- pink color.

"What's on your mind?" Caroline questioned, noticing that Elena had been silent and distant from Kai since they had gotten back from the penthouse viewing.

Elena ran her finger over the rim of the wine glass in her hand. "He looked so beautiful..." Her voice trailed off, closing her eyes as the heat of the tears began to appear in her eyes and they became clouded with unshed tears.

Caroline tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Who is?" She asked, glancing back at the house every once in a while to see Kai and Klaus playing what looked like a game of poker at the dining table.

"I saw him today." Elena sniffled, turning away from Caroline as she wiped away her tears and then continued to ramble on, not wanting the blonde to stop her. "Stefan's raised such a fine little boy and he has my brown eyes. I mean, I knew that he did. But, when I saw him today and he looked up at me. My heart wanted to burst and it broke all at the same time. Made me realize how much time I wasted, being away when I could have gotten to be in his life." Elena exhaled deeply, running her hands over her hair.

Caroline inhaled deeply, leaning over to place her hand on to Elena's. "Honey, this has been really hard on Stefan. You know, you being gone had really messed him up for a long time and I don't think he's ever told Ben about you." She insisted flatly as Elena's eyes grew wide and she choked on the wine in her mouth, tasting the slight tang of it as the rest went down her throat.

"What?" She questioned, hearing Caroline nervously laugh. Hoping that the subject would be dropped and they could talk about something else.

"He never told our son about me? So, he thinks Audrey's his mother?" Elena's eyes grew even wider at the realization. That's why Ben looked confused when he looked up at her and said nothing when Stefan told him to go sit down on the bench a few feet away from them.

Caroline gave her a bleak smile. "I'm so sorry, honey. Stefan met Audrey when Ben was just a baby. He needed someone to help him and Katherine helped as much as she could. But, it just wasn't enough. So, Audrey helped raise Ben too. Soon they were living together and it just became natural for them. For her to be known as his mom." Elena looked away from Caroline and back towards the house, getting up from her seat.

"When was the first time my son called her mom?" Elena heard herself ask, tears streaming down her cheeks. It shouldn't have hurt this much, knowing that they had moved on. But, it hurt like hell. It was almost as if her heart was being ripped out of her chest when Caroline uttered out. "When Ben turned 1. Granted it was 2 months into his first year. But, he said "momma" to Audrey during a birthday party we were having for Klaus."

"Elena," Caroline tried to say, attempting to calm her down as she watched the brunette hastily grab her keys from her gray Kate Spade bag. "I need to go." She mumbled, trying to leave.

"What? Where are you going!" Caroline shouted out as Elena began walking back into the house. Caroline watched her turn around for a moment as she shrugged her shoulders. "Just give me an hour. Do Damon and Katherine still live in the same place?"

"What do you need to see Katherine for? Elena! They aren't big fans of yours." Caroline warned, reminding her.

Elena pivoted back on her heels. It was already a little past 8:30 and the sun had disappeared into the night completely. "I know. No one seems to be anymore because of what I did. But, I need some answers. So, tell Kai that I'll be back in two hours. Tell him to not wait up, actually." She stated, walking towards the driveway.

"You don't even have a car!" Caroline exclaimed, attempting to persuade her to not do this.

Jingling the keys in her left hand, Elena smiled as she said. "I stole the keys to that nice looking black Porsche in the driveway. It's yours, I'm guessing. Anyways, I'll be gentle. I promise. Please, Caroline. Just give me a few hours to talk to her. It's all I ask." She said, walking away as Caroline slumped back down into her seat, rubbing her hands over her face in frustration because she knew it was a bad idea.

* * *

"I'm just going to slip out of this and..opps." Katherine teased, tossing her red colored tank top over the computer screen as she heard her husband groan loudly.

"This isn't what I meant when I said lets get naked over skype, darlin'!" Damon commented with a hint of irritation as Katherine moved her hair to one side and leaned back into the mattress. She was thankful for this, some silly fun with her husband because she had been missing him so much lately. The kids being out for the night made things ever better.

"So, where are our children?" Damon laughed, watching Katherine move the tank top off the screen, revealing her black bra and matching panties to her husband. "Mhmmm...They're at Stacy's house for the night. Something about a school project and play time. Lucky for us, they're spending the night there."

"Good." Damon stated, his eyebrows rising as he smirked at his smoking hot wife. "Damn, Katherine. I'd be all over you if I was home right now." He added on as she bite down her lower lip and just when she was about to do something else fairly sexy for him, Katherine heard a loud booming noise coming from downstairs.

"Who's that? You plan on having an audience aside from me?" Damon joked as Katherine shook her head, pulling her top back over her barely dressed body.

"Of course not!" She teased back, telling Damon that she'd be calling him later and that she thought it was probably just the pizza delivery guy who liked to flirt with her shamelessly during his route in the neighborhood.

"Tell him to keep his damn pizza and paws to himself and off of my wife!" Damon threatened as Katherine laughed and said goodbye to him, fixing her hair and throwing on a pair of shorts before she made her way down the stairs and to the front door. Katherine took a step back as she opened it, the aroma of whiskey seeping out from his mouth as he leaned against the door frame, grinning up at her.

"Evening beautifulll." He slurred under his breath, stumbling towards her and right into her arms as Katherine caught him just in time before he face planted on to the ground. Slamming the door behind her, she leaned against it, crossing her arms with a firm expression of disgust on her face.

"What the hell are you doing here and why in the hell are you drunk!" She shouted at him, watching him take a seat on the cold tiled floor as he placed his hands against his face and inhaled through gritted teeth. He lifted up his finger, pointing at her as he began to explain with a giggle.

"Funny thing happened today..."He began to say as she rolled her eyes, huffing out a breath.

"Obviously." Katherine commented, kicking the left side of his precious brown suede Italian loafers.

"You know. I went to go see that penthouse that Audrey and I were planning on buying." Katherine nodded, of course she knew. It was all they had been talking about since they had seen it over four months ago.

Katherine shrugged. "So, what happened?" She asked, hearing him laugh a little as he continued, leaning his head back against the wall as he complained about the room spinning.

"Well, my ex showed up. And, damn it. She fucking amazing. Beautiful like she had looked before and all I could think about was my life, my choices in my life." Stefan added on, watching Katherine pinch the bridge of her nose as she kept listening to him talk.

"Oh no." Was all she could manage to say as she figured that they were thinking of the same person. Although, what he said next made the hairs on the back of Katherine's neck stand up.

"So, after that. I went home, sat in my office for a few hours after Ben went to sleep. I found some old whiskey and drank it, the whole bottle. Then, when Audrey came home. I told her that I didn't want to be with her anymore. I told her that this wedding was just going to be a shame. It's not real, Katherine. I don't love her. I told her that I didn't love her at least..Because...All I could think about were those alluring brown eyes, the ones that I've missed so much." His voice broke, trailing off as Katherine stood over him, stunned and utterly repulsed by what he was saying.

"You didn't mean that!Have you lost your god damn mind. You and Audrey are perfect together. The wedding is in three weeks, Stefan! You can't screw this up because of someone else who left you." She shouted at him, bending down and trying to pull Stefan up to his feet with all the strength she had in her. Although, he was too strong and they both went crashing to the ground fairly quickly. Katherine shook her head, taking a seat beside him. Her eyes were desperately searching his for some understanding as she grabbed his face into the palm of her hands and that's when she saw it. How broken he truly was.

"She's back, Katherine. And, seeing her today made me regret every single mistake I've made. Letting her go, I should have never let her go." He told her in a tormented tone, tears streaming down his face as he leaned his head against Katherine's shoulder. She didn't say a word, just sat with him for a long while until another unexpected knock at the door interrupted their time together.

"Who the hell is it now!" Katherine exclaimed, getting to her feet as she helped Stefan into the living room before answering the door. Although, when she opened it up. Her heart fell into the pit of her stomach as they came face to face and Katherine softly said her name. "Elena."

Elena's makeup was smeared, black streaks of mascara wiped away with a tissue were evident on her olive colored skin as she glanced up at Katherine. "I know that I'm the last person that you ever wanted to see again. But, you and I used to be pretty decent friends, once upon a time. And, I guess I'm here because I didn't know where else to go and..." The look of shock and anger flashing in Katherine's dark brown gaze caused Elena to take a step back as she swallowed the lump forming in her throat before she continued simply. "I need you to tell me, Katherine. I need you to tell me that coming back home for them was a total mistake. Because, he's happy without me. I saw it today, Stefan is really happy without me. And, our beautiful little boy. He finally has a mom who loves him and who's there for him. All I am is an absentee mother who Ben doesn't even know exists."

* * *

**A/N: Oh things are about to get really interesting...I promise!**


	4. Chapter Four

**Remember Me- Chapter Four**

Katherine stood in front of Elena completely dumbfounded and confused as she took a step to the side and Elena peaked inside of the house, getting a glimpse of what she assumed were Damon's shoes.

"If this is a bad time, I can come back at another time." Elena sniffled, wiping away her tears as she heard a man's deep voice in the background. At this point, Stefan was leaning against the staircase banister as he said nothing. "I'll be right back." Katherine told him, closing the door behind her and praying that he wasn't listening in on what she was about to tell Elena.

"You can't be here, right now. Elena, he's drunk and reconsidering everything good that's happened in his life since you left..." Her voice trailed off as Elena crossed her arms over one another and gave Katherine a confused look.

"What?" Elena asked, giving Katherine a perplexed look as she nodded her head, attempting to block the door.

"I can't let you in. I'm so sorry. But, I think it would be best if you left right now." Katherine stated in a bold tone, crossing her arms over each other and looking Elena straight in the eyes to make her point.

Elena helplessly looked on as she heard Stefan talking in the background, not making much sense at all. She sighed and pursed her lips together. "Look, tell him I'm sorry and to just call me when he's sober. Here's my new temporary number. Tell him that I don't want to mess things up with Audrey..." Elena's voice trailed off the moment that she heard Katherine clear her throat.

"Elena," Katherine scratched the top of her head, looking back towards the now closed house door behind her. "He's drunk at my house right now after seeing you. Honey, you shouldn't be here." Katherine spoke again, noticing that Elena was squirming a bit, almost as if she was nervous.

Elena turned away, closing her eyes before she finally admitted. "Leaving them was wrong. I know that it was. But, I swear to you that I didn't come back here to ruin anything good for him. Please, Katherine. You need to believe me."

Katherine stood with her hand on her hips, staring blankly at Elena. "I want you to leave, right now. Believe me, it's for your own good and for his. I need you to go." She paused just a few feet away, turning back to look at Katherine who had her arms crossed and was leaning against the closed front door. "I'll have him call you when he sobers up, I promise." She vowed, retreating back into the house as she watched Elena walk back to her car, get into it and eventually drive away. Katherine counted silent until she reached 10. That's when she went after him.

"Get up, you piece of shit!" She yelled at Stefan, kicking the side of his foot as he groaned at her.

"What do you want?" He asked her with a hostile tone, squinting his eyes up at the brunette who looked as if she was ready to start a fight.

"I want you to tell me. What exactly happened between you and Elena earlier today and why she just came to my doorstep crying? Jesus Christ, Stefan!" Katherine exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips and leaning to her left side a bit more. His eyes slowly made their way towards her angered face. He had seen her mad in the past, plenty of times before. Although, this time Katherine looked a little heart broken as well.

"She caught me off guard todayyyy." He slurred his word, leaning his head back against the

couch as he rubbed his hands over his face.

"I yelled at Audrey and I messed things up, Kat. I messed things up because my emotions were all over the place after seeing Elena again. I wasn't thinking straight and Ben was with me and he saw her….He saw his mom…." Stefan choked out his words, closing his eyes as the tears began to fall and Katherine took a seat beside him, allowing him to rest his head in her lap. They both sat in silence for a long time, her stroking the side of his face with her fingertips and him sobbing into the fabric of her light colored jeans. "I promised myself I was over her, Katherine! I've been telling myself that for the last six years. That it didn't matter that she had walked out on us, that Ben and I would be okay. Then, I met Audrey and everything changed." Stefan exhaled deeply, pausing for a minute as she glanced down at him sorrowfully. "Audrey changed everything for us. She taught me that it was okay to move on and to live again...She showed me and Ben that we were okay without Elena." Stefan lifted up himself from her lap after a few minutes, taking the palm of his hand to wipe away the rest of his tears.

"I'm sorry, for showing up like this at your place tonight. I just, I didn't know where else to go and who else to talk to about it all. I missed her for so damn long and part of me had even imagined what it would be like when she came back into our lives. Now," Stefan licked the bottom of his lip as he stammered out. "Now, I don't know what to do. Should I even go through with the wedding? Should I talk to Elena? Katherine, tell me what to do. Please, tell me what to do." Stefan pleaded, hearing himself in the deafening silence for a bit as he thought how silly his question had been. Because, he knew deep down in his heart, Stefan knew exactly what the right thing was to do.

"You love her, don't you?" He heard Katherine ask as she looked over at him and exhaled deeply. Stefan was quiet for a while, probably a little too long while Katherine adjusted herself in her seat and tapped her fingers against his arm. "You love Audrey, right?"

He nodded, refocusing his attention back onto his sister in law who was looking at him as if she was growing more disappointed by the minute. He shouldn't have hesitated, he shouldn't have missed a beat when asked about his future wife. However, he did. And, that small factor made them both uneasy. Stefan inhaled sharply before he collected his thoughts and finally spoke. "I do love her, I really do. But," Katherine bit her tongue as he continued trying to explain. "But, Elena coming back here is messing with my head."

Katherine scoffed under her breath. "Of course it is." She stated sharply as she stared over at him and then said in a lowered tone. "So, make things right with Audrey and get out of town for a few days. No talk about the wedding, no talk about your son or your ex-fiance coming into town again and messing your future up. How about you two just go somewhere and enjoy each others company?"

Stefan nodded. He would certainly have to go back home and apologize for his behavior. He was upset about things and taking it out on Audrey, wasn't right. He did love her and before Elena had even been back in town, Stefan was set on marrying her and calling her his wife. They were going to plan a life together with Ben and finally, he'd get everything he had wanted all those years ago that he had never gotten with Elena. A family and Ben would have a mother.

"Okay. I just need to sober up." He commented, leaning his head back as his eyes began to close and Katherine slowly got up from her seat, walking out of the living room and grabbing her cell phone as she dialed Damon's phone number.

"Hello?" His raspy voice filled her ears as she sat on the steps of the stairs that lead to the upstairs bedrooms. She sat cross legged and listened as Stefan began snoring and then she spoke to her husband. "Hey babe. I'm sorry about earlier. Did I wake up?"

"Not really." He yawned. "What's going on?" Damon asked with a curious tone as Katherine rubbed her tired eyes with the back of her hand. "Your brother. He's not sure he wants to marry Audrey and it's the most saddest thing I have ever seen in my life, Damon. He's second guessing nearly everything since-."

"Since...Since what?" Damon stammered out as she gritted her teeth back and finally stated. "Elena's back in town. Since the woman and mother to his son came back in like a damn hurricane and stirred shit up again. I mean, she's moved on. But, for the love of god! Stefan was doing so good. He is finally moving on with his life and then BAM! In comes Elena to ruin everything she once loved!" Katherine was whispering, trying her hardest not to scream out her words at how pissed off she was. This wasn't fair. None of this was fair to Stefan or to Ben..Hell, Audrey didn't even deserve this at all and more than anything, Katherine wanted to put an end to it.

"Shit!" Damon exclaimed, pushing his back into the mattress he was laying on as he listened to his wife keep rattling off how Stefan had come over with a taxi and how drunk he had gotten after seeing Elena, how he got into a fight with Audrey, almost calling off their wedding. And, now how he was passed out on their couch.

"Let him sleep it off and go get some sleep too. Damn it, I knew this was going to happen, eventually. You know, she probably thinks that she's going to get back with him and things will be just as they had been before she bailed on him and Ben." Damon stated, rolling his eyes at the thought. He didn't hate, Elena. He was just as pissed off at how unfairly she had treated Stefan. She had literally pulled the rug right underneath his little brother just when they were starting to settle into a life together in Portland.

"Well, she claims that's not why she's here. She came over last night too. She said that she wanted to talk to Stefan and clarify that all she really wants is to be a part of Ben's life and that she doesn't want to ruin anything for him and Audrey." Katherine explained.

"I'm sure she doesn't." Damon said sarcastically, staying silent for a while until he finally spoke again. "Listen, get some sleep and I'll call you in the morning to talk to him. I love you and I'll be home in a week." He reminded her, hearing Katherine nearly squeak out her excitement at the news. She needed Damon home right now because dealing with the kids and with Stefan was already starting to take a toll on her.

"Okay. I love you too." She vowed, hanging up the cell phone and pushing herself up from the seat she had taken from the top of the stairs. She paused for a moment, remembering back to when Stefan had just met Elena and for some reason, a small smile crept upon her lips. "I know you loved her all those years ago and maybe you still do. But, she just isn't what you need anymore and I'm going to help you realize that. I don't hate her. I just hate how things turned out for you and her." Katherine whispered out into the dark night as she shut off the hallway lights and headed back into her bedroom, thinking about how when morning came, she'd help Stefan firstly with having him go talk to Audrey and fix things.

* * *

"Audrey!" Stefan shouted the next morning, hearing what sounded like the shuffling of clothing as he moved through the house, calling out Ben's name and then hers once more. "He's not here. I took him to your mothers last night because he couldn't sleep." Audrey sniffled, her eyes blood shot from crying as he noticed that she was wearing the same clothing from just the night before and her cheeks were beat red too.

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry about last night…" Stefan's voice trailed off as he glanced down at her carry on luggage near the door and his heart sank into the pit of his stomach. It was packed full of clothing and some of her other things. He gulped down his fear as his voice shook. "Honey, don't do this. Please, Audrey. I love you and we can work this out. Please, don't go." Stefan begged, taking a step towards her as she looked back to her bags, tears were welling up into her eyes and as much as she hadn't wanted to cry in front of him. It was already too late.

"Don't tell me you love me when you said you didn't last night! Don't contradict yourself and guilt trip me into this marriage that hasn't even happened yet, Stefan!" Audrey yelled, wiping away her tears as she exhaled with a trembling breath and then added on. "I'm going to visit my parents for a while. They're in New York and I think it would be a good idea to just be-." Stefan's arm on hers made her words stop as he leaned into her, kissing her lips softly and wiping away the moisture from her eyes with his thumbs. "I don't love her, baby. Elena is here for Ben and that's it. I love you and I want to marry you. I want our life , Audrey and I want us to be happy. I love you and I don't want you going anywhere. I want us to fix this. Do you understand?"

Nodding tearfully as his hands cupped her cheeks, she stared right into his forest green gaze. "Stefan, how's this going to work? How are we going to work...Have you even thought of that?" She asked with a hoarse tone in her voice. She was exhausted, he could see it in her eyes, the way her darkened circles became ever more pronounced as she tilted her head to the side and finally blurted out what they both knew was the truth. "I know that you love her, Stefan. That deep down you probably still do and seeing her yesterday stirred those old feelings back into your heart. I get that. But, I don't want her coming in between us. Damn it, I love you and I've been his mother for years. Not her! I was changing his diapers, I was the one holding your hand the night we rushed him to the ER after that flu scare he had. I was there when you and Ben needed me the most." She placed both her hands on top of her head and pivoted on her heels to not face him as she inhaled through gritted teeth and then stammered out. "God damn it, Stefan! I was there when you got the diagnosis..."

The room fell silent when she finally turned back to face him, her hands shaking as she clutched on to them tightly. Stefan hadn't thought about it in years, the illness that almost killed him. He was better now, a lot more healthier and on the road to recovery. But, just three years earlier, Stefan Salvatore could have been six feet under and Ben would have been fatherless. "I know." Stefan spoke softly, taking a cautious step towards her as she gave him a defeated look.

"I know for a fact that Elena doesn't even know about it. About the skin cancer almost killed you, Stefan. I was there every single day during all of your chemo, all of those other treatments!" They both froze in place as Stefan looked up at Audrey and she inhaled deeply, looking away from him before she said. "Look, I know that you're better now and you don't think it matters anymore. But, it does. It matters. We were there for each other when no one else gave a damn."

Audrey placed her hand over her mouth, rubbing them over her face in frustration. "I'm sorry, alright. I'm sorry that I never was Elena for you. But, here's the thing. I was there when she wasn't and that should mean something to you. Because, I love you and I love your little boy as if he was my own. I would do anything for you and for Ben. Stefan, he's my son too and that should mean something to you." Pushing her hair back and out of her face, she finally moved towards him. Stefan stood still, putting his arms around her as she leaned into him and placed her head against hist chest while she cried. "I can't lose you to someone that you used to love, Stefan. I refuse to lose you to the memory of a woman that you still think she is."

Stefan rested his chin against her head, whispering softly. "I promise that you won't. Elena's not here for me, sweetie. She's moved on and all she wants is to make things right with our son. Please, you need to understand that she isn't here for me and I don't feel anything for her anymore." He said, silently repeating the last few words in his mind, hoping that he'd eventually come to believe them. It was nonsense anyways, to still feel something for Elena. She was the one who had left and turned his life upside down, she was the one who broke his heart into shattered pieces and Audrey was there to pick up the pieces and help him heal, help him learn to love again. Feeling anything for Elena except for a mutual respect just wouldn't seem right. "You've got nothing to worry about." Stefan stated, pulling Audrey closer into his chest as he left a kiss against the top of her head. "I love you and no one else." He reassured with a whispered tone.

* * *

"Should we wake her up?" Klaus asked, standing just feet away from Elena's closed bedroom door as Caroline came to stand beside it, staring at the white painted door, just as her husband had been a few minutes before. "No, she had a rough night."

"Rough night?" Klaus questioned, tightening the tie around his neck as he glanced over at his wife with an amused look on his face. "Did she go out with her boyfriend all night long?" He asked with a wink as Caroline shook her head with a disgusted look on her face. "God no! Klaus, she went over to Katherine's and once there, she got turned away. I spent half the night with her talking about everything as she cried on my shoulder." Caroline explained, still looking at the closed door as she then turned away and put all of her attention back on Klaus who was getting ready for an important investors breakfast.

"Well, love. Hopefully Kai didn't see her crying her eyes out. That guy really loves her and he's actually hoping to marry her one day. So, let's hope that she can pull herself together long enough for a fairytale wedding..." His voice trailed off as he glanced over at himself in the mirror and locked eyes on to Caroline who looked nervous when she heard Klaus laugh out. "It's not like she's still in love with Stefan anyways. That ship sailed a long time ago when she walked out on them, we all know that."

Caroline let out a nervous laugh. He was right. Elena being in love with Stefan had been years ago and by now, she would have thought that both of them would have happily moved on for the sake of their son that they both clearly loved very much. "Of course not, that's ridiculous! Stefan's engaged to be married and Elena has this great guy. Besides, I think they'd both be pretty stupid to ruin the good things that they have now with other people." Caroline commented, playing with a strand of her curly blonde hair as Klaus smiled over at her, walking up to her slowly and leaving a quick kiss on the tip of her nose. "Of course they would be. Now, if you'll excuse me. I have to go meet up with Lexi and Kol for breakfast and this head honcho guy from New York who said he wants to meet me." Klaus said, releasing the grip he head from around his wife's waistline as she took a step back and watched him prepare to go.

"And, what am I supposed to do all day? Babysit our guests?" She asked in a sudden irritated tone as she watched him release the grip he had on the doorknob, swallowing the lump in his throat. Klaus Mikaelson was a powerful man, he always had been. Yet, lately Caroline had been trying to step up her game as the dotting and powerful wife because she had felt as if they should have both been equals in each one of their business endeavors. "I'll ask Lexi if you can come in to do an interview with her one of these days. I'm sure she could find something for you to do around the office." Klaus told her with a beaming smile as Caroline placed her hands on to her hips and leaned into the couch that she was standing near. "Fine." was all she had managed to say as she watched him open the door and then close it behind him. She loved her husband, she loved everything about their lifestyle and their new found big wig friends. However, what Caroline hated the most was the dreaded feeling of being lonely as she watched Klaus whisk away to meetings and places that she wished more than anything that she could be a part of and there was only one solution to that, she thought to herself as she took a seat on the couch and leaned back into it. Talk to Klaus about being more involved with his business deals and less of the housewife that she had never imagined herself becoming or become her own boss and give her husband a run for his money.


	5. Chapter Five

A/N: Hey all! I'm kind of back to writing. I know it's been forever. Although, I hope you all are still reading my stories and thank you for those who have been patient with me. I truly do appercaite it.

Follow me for updates at: BePassionate_24

Remember Me- Chapter Five

"Klaus! Where are you?" Caroline loudly shouted, looking around the nearly empty office rooms, opening almost every door as she went along.

"Caroline," Lexi smiled suddenly. Caroline watched her pop out of one of the rooms, straightening her dress out as she stepped in front of the confused blonde.

"Lexi? It's after hours. On a Friday night." Caroline pointed out, eying the hickies on her neck as she tried to brush her hair in front of her reddish flesh. Lexi was clearly disoriented and a little nervous as she kept looking back behind her.

Caroline smiled a little, quickly understanding what was going on. "You obviously aren't here alone?"

Lexi shook her head, clearing her throat as she closed the door behind her and leaned against it. She was hoping that Klaus's wife wouldn't start asking questions. Really, she was praying for that.

"No." Lexi replied softly, nervously looking back behind her again as they both heard something knock over in the room and a man groan out in pain.

Caroline smiled, pushing Lexi out of the way while she placed her hand on to the door and glanced over towards the woman who's name was on the building. "I know that you're the boss of this place and you can do whatever the hell you want while you're here. However, my husband pays a lot of money to support you and last I heard, he owns a small portion of it. Right along with Damon and Stefan Salvatore. So, if you're fucking with who I think you're fucking with. I suggest that no one finds out. And, by no one. I mean my husband, Klaus."

Lexi's eyes grew as she watched Caroline's hand slip away from the door and she pivoted on her heels. "Take my advice, don't fall in love with him." Caroline looked down at the ground as Lexi's eyebrows furrowed and she watched her begin walking down the hall.

"It's too late for that Caroline. You should know how hard it is to resist the charms of a Mikaelson. Besides, you married one." She could hear her say as Caroline walked away and reminded herself that no matter what, she wasn't going to tell her husband that one of his brothers was sleeping with Lexi.

"Turn off the lights." Elena smiled, exhaling deeply as she moved the covers on Stefan's side of the bed. She heard him exhale heavily. He turned towards her, the early morning street lights shining on his face. She was eight months pregnant at the time and they were in a good place with each other. However, he had been working long hours and it was taking it's toll. Elena watched as Stefan placed his arm around her growing belly. She saw his eyes slowly begin to close as he slid his tired and aching body beside her on their bed.

"It's going to get easier, you know." She smiled a little. Trying to be reassuring that things in fact were going to be okay and that she'd help him through whatever hardship he was feeling at the time.

Stefan leaned his head back, staring up at the ceiling. He grabbed her hand as she laid down next time him and he thought about it, their future.

"I know." He whispered, kissing her hands as she giggled and got closer to him. Stefan watched Elena rest her head against his shoulder as she smiled softly at him. "As long as you're by my side. I know that it's going to get easier." He commented, leaning into her as he kissed her cheek and she nuzzle against him, placing her hand on to his cheek. "I love you." She smiled sweetly, laying contently in his arms as he replied back. "I love you too."

"Elena, I love you." Kai stated, standing in front of Elena with a black box in between his hands as he knelt down in front of her, searching her eyes.

"Elena. Babe, please say something..." His voice trailed off as Elena shook away the memories filled with sorrow and tried her hardest to focus in on Kai who was spilling his heart out to her.

"What?" She asked, realizing what was going on and that Kai was trying to propose to her in such a nontraditional way.

"Marry me, Elena." He blurted out as he opened the box in front of her eyes and she covered her mouth with her hands. "Kai.." She began to say, swallowing down her surprise and replacing it with the truth.

"I love you too." She told him, grabbing his hands and smiling at him with tears in her eyes as she cleared her throat, moving the ring away and stated. "I love you, Kai Parker. I love you. But, I can't marry you." He stood up, releasing her hands and taking a step back. Clearly, he felt foolish about the whole situation. Elena obviously didn't love him as much as he had thought she did.

"You don't feel the same way about me, do you?" He asked, flat out and bluntly. She ran her hands over her face, closing her eyes as she inhaled sharply. Elena was haunted. By this town, by everyone and everything in it. Although, Kai didn't know the full story and she was surely about to tell him.

"Kai, I love you. But, the truth is that. I came back here to make things right with the people I left behind. Which, includes Stefan. Because, as long as I'm being honest with myself. Deep down in my heart the truth is that I've never stopped loving Stefan. My son's father and feeling that while moving forward with you. It isn't fair."

He looked at her stunned, dropping the ring to the ground. Kai's eyes grew furious as he grabbed a hold of his head and then crossed his arms over his chest. "He's getting married to someone else, Elena and he's obviously not here. I am! I'm the one who has been here for you. Don't do this, don't throw what we have away over a guy that you just have a son with. Please, don't be so stupid!"

Elena laughed a little. It was painful hearing the truth. Yet, she knew he was partly right. "Stefan isn't just some guy, Kai. He was the love of life and I took him for granted. I understand that he's marrying someone else and she seems wonderful for him. But, you need to know where I stand and why I can't marry you right now. Even if part of me really wants to do just that. Believe me, part of me would love nothing more than to live out our days together. But, how long will it be until you look at me and realize that maybe it's not me who you wanted?"

He stood speechless, moving slowly towards her as he calmly stated. "I'm not going to give you an ultimatum. Elena, it's very simple. It's me or him. And, if you don't want me. Then, I will pack my bags and be out of your life in the morning. You'll never see me again." Kai told her, watching as she glanced back him without a word.

"We nearly got caught!" Lexi stammered, slamming the door behind her as she watched Kol give her a knowing grin. He got up from his seat at her desk, watching as she locked the door behind her and took a seat where he had just been sitting in her office.

"Oh, this just got scandalous." He commented, watching as Lexi leaned forward and smacked his shoulder. "You are horrible."

"A horrible distraction." He winked, pulling her closer as she pressed her lips against his, relishing in the taste of the bourbon on his lips.

"We can't tell your brother about this." She pointed out, leaning back and placing her finger against the collar of his shirt as Kol leaned back and laughed. He was grinning like a fool in love if Lexi had ever seen one. They had yet to make anything official since both of them had been enjoying the more casual side of whatever it was that they were doing.

"So, we've been sneaking around for over six months. When are you going to make me your girlfriend?" She asked, tilting her head to the side and waiting for an answer from him as he glanced down at their intertwined hands. "Once I tell my brother about this and once I'm reassured that it won't end up on some stupid tabloid. Lexi, I love you for who you are. Not because you're some multimillion dollar business owner. Believe me, I've dated a lot of different women and there is something completely different about you." He commented, hearing her exhale heavily as she leaned forward and placed her head against his chest, whispering out ever so softly. "I love you."

"So, my husband's brother is sleeping around with your boss." Caroline announced loudly as she made her way into Stefan's house, hearing Ben running towards her while she embarrassingly apologized to Stefan for uttering those words.

"Hi auntie, Caroline!" Ben shouted, grabbing a hold of Caroline's hand as he dragged her through the living room, telling her that he wanted to show her his new lego collection. "That's great sweetheart. Where's your father?" Caroline commented, attempting to brush the little boy off.

Ben stared up at her, a sad expression on his face as he turned towards the closed door of Stefan's office. "Daddy's talking to uncle Damon." He said softly. Caroline ran her hands through Ben's hair, smiling down at him and kissing the side of his face. "I'll be out here later to play with you, okay?" She said, watching him nod at her as he ran back into the living room and went straight to playing with his toys again. She knocked once on Stefan's door and when she didn't get a reply, she marched right in. He turned around slowly, a bit taken back from her sudden intrusion.

"Damon, something came up. I'll call you back." Stefan stated, hanging up the phone in his hands as Caroline took a seat, crossing her legs over one another and smirking at Stefan as he waited to asked what in the hell was going on.

"Oh," She began, leaning forward for more emphasis. "A hell of a lot is going on actually. Where do you want me to start?" She questioned with an eager tone.

Stefan laughed a little, leaning back into his chair. "Start with your husband and the fact that his brother is sleeping with Lexi Branson. Kol, was it?" Caroline gawked at him, trying to figure out how he knew and then it dawned on her. "Damon told you? How the hell does Damon know? He's been in California for months!"

Stefan tapped his fingertips against the table in front of him and sighed out a deep breath. "Damon came back home late last night and he's well informed about what's going on. Actually, he caught them making out near the entrance of the building. I sent him to the office to pick up a few things and apparently. Kol and Lexi like to hook up at the offices, after hours when no one is around at all. So, they're pretty much screwing each other on every surface inside of our office building."

"Ugh! That's disgusting!" Caroline stated, rolling her eyes as Stefan smirked a little while licking his bottom lip. He was remembered for a moment of the time that he and Elena had tried to sneak around the offices at his old real estate firm.

"I guess." He shrugged, getting up from his seat and looking past Caroline to make sure that Ben was doing okay.

"So, what else is going on?" He asked her, taking a seat back down just as the doorbell rang and he heard Ben shout out that he was about to open the door. "Will you, excuse me?" Stefan asked, lifting up a finger as Caroline nodded when Stefan added in quickly. "Before my very friendly son lets in a bunch of strangers into my home."

She watched him leave the room as she closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. The thought of Kol sleeping around with Lexi was surely to be leaked out to the press and if that happened, she thought. Maybe it would give them all exactly what they needed- some brand new publicity. "Maybe this won't be such a bad thing." She laughed to herself as she got up and walked back into the living room. Ben was sitting on the floor anxiously as Caroline heard the doorbell ring a few more times and Stefan shouted back at the door that he was on his way.

"Alright, kid. Show me what you got!" Ben heard her say as his eyes gleamed with excitement and he showed off his new lego collection. Caroline sat on the couch, legs crossed over one another and that's when she heard it. The familiar tone of voice speaking with Stefan. "Oh shit." She mumbled, getting up from her seat and noticing who his visitor was….

"Elena." Stefan said her name as he stepped back from the door for a moment, watching her fidget back and forth before she finally spoke. "I know that you don't want to see me and I know that the last time we saw each other, we were both a mess. But," She began to ramble on as Stefan took a step outside and closed the door behind him. He noticed that she was ringing her fingers together nervously.

"What are you doing here?" He asked her as she licked her bottom lip, swallowing down her fears as she locked her eyes on to him and shrugged her shoulders back.

"I'm not really sure." She stated, clearing her throat. "I guess I came to apologize once again for things and to tell you that you don't need to worry about me ruining your wedding to Audrey." Stefan scoffed, glancing down at her hand and noticing the shiny diamond ring on the ring finger of her left hand.

"You're engaged?" He asked with a stunned tone, running his hands over his face and through his hair. He should have known and it certainly shouldn't have hurt this much. But, suddenly everything that once haunted Stefan Salvatore came back into play as he looked her over.

"That's not why I came here." Elena retorted, watching Stefan turn his back towards her. She slowly raised her hand up and placed it on to his shoulder. "Please, Stefan. Can we talk someplace private?" She asked him, hoping that he would at least consider hearing her out.

The touch of her gentle hand against his shoulder made his back tense up as he turned towards her once more and their eyes met. "We both know that the two of us in the same room wouldn't be a good idea."

Her hand dropped back to her side as she shook her head and glanced down at her shoes. "Right, never mind then." Elena said, turning towards the parking lot and her parked car. She was embarrassed now. She had been feeling fairly good up until the point of his eyes meeting hers and then it all went to hell. Stefan watched her starting to leave, fumbling for her keys as he saw some of the contents of her wallet spill out on to his driveway. "Son of a bitch!" Elena cursed, leaning down to pick things up just as Stefan walked over to her. Elena could feel his eyes on hers as he helped her pick up her things, their hands touched. She moved her hand away quickly and glanced up at him through watery eyes. "How many times am I going to apologize to you?" She questioned, choking back on her sobs.

Stefan didn't say anything, he just watched her as she got up and he did the same. Elena began turning towards her car when she heard him say her name. Maybe this- being this close to her- was killing him too? Maybe it was just an illusion and they really did out grow one another. It had been years, she thought. Maybe it was time to finally once in for all, let each other go?

"Elena. Wait. Please, wait!" Stefan softly whispered. Although, it was loud enough for her to hear him.

"What?" She asked, turning to face him as her mascara stained her red cheeks and her eyes filled with tears, blurring her vision.

"I'm sorry too. You know. I'm sorry that I gave up so easily on you. On us. I'm sorry that now we can't even look at each other without being afraid of what we're going to feel or what kind of emotions it's going to bring back up. Damn it, Elena. I miss you and I know that we can't go back to what we were. You can go ahead and hate me and I can hate you. Which I don't anymore because I still want you in my life. Not just because of Ben. But, for myself too." She was sobbing now, leaning against the passenger side door of her car as she placed her face into her hands and cried.

Stefan cautiously made his way towards her, embracing her into his arms tightly without a second thought in his mind. "I miss my best friend." He whispered into her ear, kissing the side of her face as she crumbled into his arms, still crying as she whispered ever so softly. "I've missed you too. I've missed you so much."

Until Next Time! Please let me know what you think. Reviews make me happy! :)


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU.AH. SEQUEL TO "MUST LOVE DOGS." Six years after leaving just a letter behind as a goodbye. Elena finally returns to Florida in an attempt to reconnect with the son she doesn't know. Stefan is raising Ben & working as Lexi's business partner. They're both about to learn that loving again is easy. But, moving on will be even harder.(Stelena,Klaroline,Datherine,Lexi/Kol)

A/N: Enjoy all and thanks so much for reading. :)

Follow me on twitter at: BePassionate_24

Remember Me- Chapter Six

"What have the last few years been like for me?" Elena took a deep breath, placing her hands into her lap as she looked out towards the front lawn, smiling at all the roses that she pictured Audrey planting in front of the home that her and Stefan shared together. She couldn't be in the same room beside him. But, she could be here with him. It was safer. They weren't sitting too close to each other, yet she could still feel his eyes on her as she spoke in a soft tone.

"They've been hard. After I left you and Ben, I was a mess. Stefan," She paused, turning her head towards him for a brief second to explain further. But, Elena stopped herself. Because how could she ever explain what was really going on in her mind? How could she explain how broken she felt? He'd probably never understand.

"Hey," Stefan paused, placing his hand on top of hers as they sat down on a bench in the front lawn. Audrey wasn't home for another two hours and it was nice, sitting with Elena like this. It was familiar.

"I forgive you, alright? And, I understand because I was a wreck for a long time after you walked out the door. Believe me, Elena. I don't ever want you or I to feel like that again." He told her, gripping on to her hand and exhaling heavily as they sat in silence for a long time.

Finally, Elena spoke. "She makes you happy, I can tell." The space between them was closing in as she leaned her head against his shoulder and he held on to her hand still, not wanting to lose the warmth of her fingertips curled into his palm.

"I'm sorry if my being with her upsets you. I just..." His voice broke, clearing it and opening his mouth again to start over. Stefan wanted to explain. "I tried raising Ben alone for so long that I'd forgotten what it was like to be around people my own age. It was just Ben and I almost every day and every night for the last few years. Damon and Katherine were getting sick of me being alone. So, then Audrey happened."

Stefan turned his head towards Elena and gave her a weakened smile. "I wasn't even looking for her, Elena. I didn't mean to fall in love with her because for so long I had been in love with you." He added on, releasing her hand as she bit down on her lower lip and glanced away from him, turning her back to him. "I loved you so damn much. But, you left me. You left me broken, bruised and battered. Elena, you left me when all I ever wanted to do was give you and our son the whole damn world." Stefan told her with pure honesty, watching her body tense up as she sniffled and then Stefan watched as Elena jumped up from her seat, crossing her arms over her chest and with tears in her eyes, she stared at him.

"I couldn't understand how you could love me after everything I had done to you? All those times I had tried to push you away and you still came back. It was you, Stefan. It was you who changed my life and made me a better person. I wanted to be good for you. I wanted our whole lives to be full of endless possibilities and for our son to grow up knowing how much we loved him." Her body was trembling as the tears cascaded down her cheeks. Stefan stood up promptly, maybe it was more so out of habit than anything else. But, his hands were on her face, wiping away the tears as he stood in front of her.

"I can't love you anymore. Not the way that I once did." His heart broke, even though he knew that she was right. They weren't the same they had been all those years ago. Time had changed things and it had certainly changed them. He leaned in without saying a word, leaving a light kiss on her forehead.

"I know. We put each other through hell and I'm sorry too. So, you're right. We can't love each other the way we used too. But, we can still be friends. Best friends, even. For the sake our son." He said, watching as she nodded and then fell into him, sobbing.

Stefan rubbed her back as she cried into his gray colored shirt, feeling each tear drop soak into the fabric. He held her tightly as she whispered into his ear. "I can't just be a friend to you, Stefan. That's never going to work."

He took a step back, holding her out towards him at arms length. "We can still try. I know that it's going to be hard because of our history and our past together. But, Elena. It's better than not having you in my life at all. I can't go through that again. I can't lose you again." He told her, hearing her inhale deeply as she buried her face into the curve of his neck, inhaling sharply before she said in a voice above a whisper. "Okay. I'll try. I promise that I'll try."

"All I'm saying is that you can't be sleeping with my brother!" Klaus shouted at her, slamming his fist against the table in front of him as Lexi blinked her eyelashes at him. She was terrified.

"I-." She began to say as Klaus turned his back towards her, exhaling heavily. "This is going to be really bad for business and if the tabloids find out. I swear to god, Lexi..." She cut him off, getting up from her seat and standing in front of him to get her point across.

"Klaus, I'm in love with him. Please, everything is going to be fine." She said simply, hoping to sway him in the best way possible.

"We don't need more scandals or people talking. Didn't Stefan and Elena's little love affair teach you anything?" He asked, hearing Lexi let out a deep belly laugh. "That was years ago, people don't even remember that anymore." Klaus argued with her. Lexi rolled her eyes, she remembered it well and she was pretty damn sure that everyone in the nation who followed nearly every move that the Salvatore family made still remembered everything regarding it. Stefan and Elena had been front page news for weeks.

"That's bullshit and you know it." Klaus shook his head. "Lexi," He sighed, straightening out his suit and the red tie around his neck before preparing to leave. "You and my brother have nothing on Stefan and Elena's scandalous love affair. Believe me, love. This might sound harsh, but neither one of you aren't as important as they once were."

Lexi's eyes grew big as she took a seat in one of the office chairs. She was stunned. Klaus stood near the door, ready to leave. But, it wasn't before she stopped him once more. Asking him something that no one had really asked or thought of at all. "Does Audrey know how much Stefan was in love with Elena? She does know how important they were to each other and how much she really matters to him?"

Klaus shrugged his shoulders, glancing down at the floor as he said in a soft tone. "I don't know. Honestly, I would hope she does. Because, they're getting married soon and that will make for one really awkward wedding moment if she doesn't know."

"You're tense." Caroline said with a soft smile later in the day, straddling his back as Klaus laid on the bed and groaned.

"It's been a hell of a day." Klaus replied with a sleepy tone. In between dealing with Lexi and Kol. He had meetings and financial deals to sort out and he was exhausted. "Has it?" Caroline teased, pressing her body against his a bit more in a playful manner as she kissed the side of his face, suddenly feeling her body hit the mattress as he spun around and before she could blink, Caroline was underneath him.

"But, coming home to you every single night makes things a million times better." He smirked, caressing her face with the back of his hand as he leaned down to kiss her lips. Caroline pulled him closer, running her fingers underneath his shirt as she felt the warmth of his skin and heard him sigh out a breath. However, just as things began to get a little hotter and heavier in their bedroom. They heard the front door slam downstairs and Elena yelling out Kai's name.

"What the hell is going on?" Klaus asked his wife, watching as she too got up and wrapped her robe around her waistline, attempting to fix her hair and open their bedroom door as Elena walked up the stairs in a panic. "Please tell me that he isn't gone. Please." She begged, her hands were trembling as Caroline tilted her head to the side and remembered what had happened between her and Kai just a few hours before.

"He's been outside for hours. Probably fell asleep out there. I think he took a book and a blanket." Caroline commented, hearing Elena thank her quickly and then rush downstairs as the backdoor closed loudly behind her.

Klaus leaned against the wall behind him and closed his eyes for a moment. Caroline placed her hands against his cheeks, slowly lowering her hands towards his stomach and leaning her body into him. "When is she going to realize that she isn't supposed to be with him?" Klaus laughed a little, pulling Caroline closer to his body as he kissed the top of her head and she exhaled heavily. "I don't know." She softly said, thankful that she wasn't in Elena's situation. Caroline knew that even though she didn't want to admit to it, that the brunette was still regretting ever letting Stefan go.

"Can we talk?" Elena asked, slowly making her way towards Kai who was sitting in front of a fire pit, reading a crime novel that she knew he liked. "Busy reading. Sorry," He began to say as she made her way to the seat next to him, taking a seat quietly next to him and folding her hands on to her lap.

"Kai, don't do that. Look, I'm sorry about earlier." She said, running her left hand her face, hoping that he'd notice she was wearing the ring that he had given her. Elena smiled a little when he did in fact notice it. "Nice ring. The guy who bought it for you must be a real catch." He sarcastically commented, finally turning to face her as he licked his bottom lip and noticed her blood shot eyes. She'd been crying on the way back to Caroline's and it broke his heart a little.

"What happened with you and Stefan? What made you two break up for good? What really happened in Portland between the two of you" He asked her out of nowhere, flat out. Kai knew most of the story, although there were some things that she hadn't been clear about.

"You don't want to hear this." She told him, watching as he disagreed with a shake of his head. No, he did in fact what to hear it. He wanted to hear all of it.

"Fine." She inhaled sharply before she said "We argued a lot towards the end. But, I loved him. Stefan wanted to fix me when I thought that nothing was wrong….Kai, you know this. Why are we talking about it again?" She asked him, grinding her teeth together in frustration.

"What happened, Elena!" He demanded. Truth was that he wanted to find out one important part. Yet, he wanted her to get to it slowly.

"I left our son in the apartment by himself for hours because he was crying! Okay! I put Ben's life in danger and that was the last straw for our relationship! Stefan came home from work to find me sitting on the kitchen floor sobbing and clutching Ben. He was freezing because I had left the window open too. I had…." Her voice trailed off as the emotions came back and she finally stammered out. "I had neglected him for three hours and I just let him cry all alone in his crib. Okay? I left the apartment to get some air without taking my newborn with me. When Stefan found out. We argued and the next morning, I realized that my disease was taking over everything. So, I wrote a letter and I left him with Stefan."

There was a long silence between them as Elena wiped away her tears and then she added in. "I still haven't forgiven myself for that. I hurt them both and I'll never forgive myself for that. Even if Stefan's forgiven me." Kai was quiet and then he glanced over at her while asking one last question. "Do you still love him, Elena?" The question floated around the dead silence between them for a while. But, deep down she knew the answer.

"How could I not. We have a son together, Kai." He felt her hands on top of his as she nearly begged him to understand. "I still love him. But, I've moved on from what we once had and so has he. Stefan's happy with someone else and I'm happy for him. Listen to me, I promise that Stefan and I are just friends. He's better off without me. Ben and him truly are." Leaning back, Kai pulled her towards him as he kissed her forehead and wrapped them up together in the blanket he had thrown over himself. "Okay." Was all he said as he glanced up at the clear night sky. His overreacting was just stupid he thought. He needed to trust her more. Besides, Stefan was engaged and Elena was now too. They were over what they once had...Weren't they?

"Catch me up to speed with things. So, what's happened since I've been gone in drought stricken California?" Damon asked Katherine as she cleared the dishes from their late night dinner.

Katherine leaned down, grabbing his plate as his hand stopped her, leaning forward and whispering softly. "Are the kids asleep?" She nodded, noticing the mischief in Damon's eyes growing.

"Come here. I've missed you." He told her, watching as Katherine giggled a little and went around the table, taking a seat in Damon's lap. He wrapped his arms around her. "So, what's been going on?"

He could tell something was bothering her. But, she had been avoiding the topic the whole time during dinner. Damon could smell the red wine scent on Katherine's breath as she spoke. "Let me see," She paused for a moment, scratching the top of her head.

"Lexi's sleeping with Kol Mikaelson. But, you already knew that one. Your brother and Elena decided to just be friends. Which we both know won't last. And, Caroline has been trying to sway Klaus into making her something big in Lexi's design firm. Honestly, that's the only thing that makes sense since Caroline went back to school after she left that bartending gig and got her degree in interior design." Damon pulled Katherine closer as he rested his chin against her shoulder. "So, aside from all that. How are you doing?" He questioned, kissing her cheek as he felt her tense shoulders relax a bit and she turned to face him.

"I'm alright." She lied. The truth was that Katherine was worried. She was concerned about Stefan and how the return of Elena was affecting him. She knew nearly everything there was to know about their past history and she remembered damn well for how long Stefan had hurt while she was gone.

"Liar." Damon quickly said, picking up on the tone of her voice. Damon rubbed her arms, kissing her shoulder as he sighed. "Tell me what's wrong?" He urged.

Katherine finally broke, locking her brown eyes on to his blue gaze as she said. "Elena being back isn't good for anyone, Damon. Especially your brother. Believe me, someone is going to be hurt all over again and it's not going to be Elena. Honestly, I can't watch his heart break over her again..." Katherine's voice trailed off as she remembered all the times that she had to be the one to help Stefan pull himself together. She had vowed that no matter what she'd be there for him, to help him pick up the pieces after everything around him came crashing down. Katherine had vowed to stand by him no matter the cost because she knew he would have done the same for her too.

"It's not going to happen like that again, Katherine. He's moved on and so has she. Besides, Stefan and Audrey's wedding is in three weeks." Damon commented in a nonchalant tone, feeling Katherine push his arms away from herself as she got up and gawked at him.

"They're getting married in three weeks?" She asked him once more, as if she hadn't heard him say that the first time.

Damon nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yeah, he didn't mention it?" Katherine shook her head. Come to think of it, Stefan hadn't mentioned anything at all about the wedding much. He had just said that things were being arraigned and that he'd let everyone know once a date was set. It was all such short notice.

"Well, he asked me to be his best man this morning." Damon smiled, watching Katherine's eyes glance down at the ground as she smiled a little. "That's great. Honestly, I just hope it all goes well and that nothing ruins such a great day for your brother." She said softly, taking a seat across from him while she thought about how Elena was going to feel once she got the news. Stefan was marrying someone else in three weeks. Stefan was marrying Audrey in three weeks and surely for Elena, it would be painful to watch.

"Is Elena invited?" Damon shrugged his shoulders to her question. "I don't know if she is or not. Honestly, I think it would be too strange if she was."

Katherine sighed, locking her eyes on to Damon. "They have a son together, Damon. A little boy who is going to be getting a stepmom. Elena needs to be there too. I think that it's only fair."

He shook his head, quickly disagreeing. "Katherine, I don't think she does. Not after all the stunts she pulled in Portland."

Katherine watched Damon get up from his seat as she stood in front of him and nearly stared him down. "She needs to be invited to the wedding, Damon. If you don't mention it to Stefan. I sure as hell will. She's his ex fiancee and Ben's mother. She needs to be there whether we like it or not. It's the right thing to do." Katherine urged, reminding herself that if Damon wasn't going to bring it up when they both saw Stefan. She certainly was. Elena needed to spend some more time with Ben and the wedding seemed like it would be the perfect opportunity to do just that.

A/N: Repeat after me...ELENA GOING TO THIS WEDDING WILL NOT BE A GOOD THING...Now, wait for it. ;)

Until Next Time!


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU.AH. SEQUEL TO "MUST LOVE DOGS." Six years after leaving just a letter behind as a goodbye. Elena finally returns to Florida in an attempt to reconnect with the son she doesn't know. Stefan is raising Ben & working as Lexi's business partner. They're both about to learn that loving again is easy. But, moving on will be even harder.(Stelena,Klaroline,Datherine,Lexi/Kol)

A/N: Hey all! I'm finally slowly getting back to writing and updating. Sorry if this reads a bit rusty. However, I hope you all still enjoy it! Thanks for reading! :)

Remember Me- Chapter Seven

Three weeks later...

"So, tomorrow's the big day. You're going to be a married man soon." Elena commented, glancing out towards the seaside resort that Stefan and Audrey had picked out as the venue for their wedding. They were all settled in for the night as Elena walked the beach and stumbled upon Stefan who was sitting all by himself, watching the waves roll in and crash against the dark brown sand.

"What are you doing out here?" He asked her, not turning to look towards her as she took a seat beside him.

"Well," Elena paused, sitting down and brushing off the sand from her khaki colored shorts.

"I saw you out here and thought I'd join you." She replied softly, exhaling as she thought about how things could have been. Years ago, this could have been the two of them. Yet, Elena shook the thought from her mind. He's happy now, without you… She reminded herself silently as Stefan finally turned to glance over at her from the corner of his eye.

"Do you ever think about how things could have turned out between us? You know, do you think about the house we would have lived in and the jobs we would have been working had we stayed together?" His question lingered in the air as she licked her bottom lip. God, she had thought about it multiple times. It had taken Elena years to attempt to move on from him and the hurt she had caused. Although, she knew that there was still a lot of unspoken pain in their newly formed relationship.

"Years ago, you had crossed my mind nearly every day. And then one day, you started to cross my mind less and less." She shrugged her shoulders back, placing her hand on top of his in the sand as she felt him move his own hand and curl his fingers around hers.

"But, seeing you now with Audrey. Stefan-." The small gesture of their hands in such close proximity made her heart skip a beat as Stefan cleared his throat and locked his saddened looking eyes upon his ex-fiancée. His tone of voice was tired and sounded strained when he finally admitted. "I'm worried that marrying Audrey is going to be a mistake, Elena. I'm worried that it's going to end up like my marriage to Rebekah did. I mean, we both know how that one ended. She was jealous all the damn time and we hated each other in the end." She watched him shift his weight around nervously, his eyes darting away from her and focusing in more on the crashing waves in front of them. Talking about Audrey in front of Elena still seemed a bit odd. However, he knew that she was trying to understand, trying to make the best of their new status of being " just friends."

Stefan felt the sudden soft touch of her hand as she caressed the top of his knuckles and intertwined their fingers together. It was gestures like these that she needed to stop herself from doing. Yet, she couldn't help it. She couldn't help not touching him or being near him now in his time of need.

"I don't think that you and her will end up like you and Rebekah," She paused, because what she was about to say next was going to be one of the hardest parts of this whole thing. It was going to mean that she was slowly accepting the fact that they'd probably never be together again.

"Audrey isn't Rebekah, Stefan. She's warm and kind. She's a good person and the way she loves you and Ben. The way that she's taken care of my son. I really respect her for that. So, I don't think that you two will end up like you and Rebekah did. I think you'll both have a very happy marriage." She commented, not daring to look at him as she quietly thought about what had happened to Rebekah Mikaelson and if she'd ever moved on from everything she had put Stefan through. She wondered for a brief moment if Stefan had invited his ex-wife to the wedding as well.

Stefan smiled, placing his head against Elena's shoulder as he grabbed her hands into his own and kissed her knuckles, skipping over her engagement ring. "Who would have thought that we'd ever be here, you and I?" He asked her, feeling her body tense up at his question.

"It's better than losing you completely." She said with a slight tone of hurt within her voice. She hadn't yet admitted to herself. Tomorrow evening, Stefan Salvatore. The only man that Elena had ever loved more than anything would be marrying someone who wasn't her and she was internally heartbroken. Part of her thought that maybe she deserved it though, maybe this was her punishment after all the hell she had put him through- this was the final blow.

"You'll always be a part of my life, Elena. Even if we're both with other people. You know that things will change. But, my love for you.." His voice cracked a little as he cleared his throat and finished his thoughts. "My love for you will always run deeply within my heart. I just want you to be happy too." He told her, becoming silent as he heard her exhale and quietly reply. "I'll always love you and Ben no matter what happens. You were my boys first before you were anyone else's. I just don't want you to ever forget me, when you're with her." She told him, nuzzling up against his body as he lifted his arm and pulled her into his side. Elena felt Stefan gently cup her face into both of his hands as he locked his eyes on to hers. "I promise that I'll always be yours first. Always." He told her, leaning into her and leaving a soft kiss upon her lips. Elena's heart tightened when he pulled away and when she opened her eyes, the warmth of his hands were gone and he was extending out his hands and arms towards her, offering to help her up.

"We should get back." He said, watching her giving him a look of bewilderment.

"What was that for?" She asked, still feeling the tingling of his lips against hers. It had been far too long since she had felt such an intensity between two people. Yet, Elena's mind reminded her of one major detail that the kiss seemed to make her forget. He was getting married tomorrow.

The golden looking sand kicked up behind his feet as he turned back towards her and shrugged his shoulders, hiding a smug smile. "For old time's sake. Tomorrow, I'll be a one-woman man."

Elena laughed, shaking her head as she caught up to him and nudged his shoulder. "Stefan Salvatore? A one-woman man? That's a nice joke." She teased, feeling him wrap his arm around her once again. Elena tried not to react to his touch as his hand slipped to the small of her back and they walked side by side, hearing the waves crash against the shore.

"She's a lucky woman." Elena commented, stopping in her tracks as Stefan turned back to watch her standing there, giving him a sorrowful look. "She loves you, Stefan. Probably better than I ever could." Elena told him, feeling defeat hit her hard as the realization sunk in. She was losing him and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Are you sure that you're ready to watch this happen?" Caroline asked Elena, tugging at the bright pink sun dress that Elena decided to wear for the nuptials. It was hotter than usual in Florida and here they were, all trying to get ready before Caroline and Elena's makeup melted off their faces because of the heat.

"Of course I am." Elena replied, glanced back at Caroline through the mirror in her bathroom. "So, are Kai and Klaus ready?" She asked the blonde, running her shaky hands through her hair as she smiled a little at the beautiful diamond ring that Kai had given her just weeks before.

"I think so." Caroline commented, looking at Elena quickly and trying to pin point exactly what she was feeling.

"Are you sure that you're okay?" She asked again, hoping that she'd get another answer. Elena sunk down in her seat, inhaling deeply as she locked her eyes onto the woman who had become her best friend over the years. If there was one thing that Elena couldn't do, it was lie directly to Caroline.

"No, I'm not." Elena stated in a flat tone. She had been anxious all week long, pacing around her bedroom and trying to act as happy as she could for Stefan and Aubrey. Although, the nagging feeling of uneasiness kept her awake at night. "I shouldn't even be at the wedding." Elena commented, looked away from Caroline as their gaze met in the mirror in front of her.

"What?" She heard Caroline ask, turning to look at her directly inside of the bedroom that she and Klaus shared.

"Care," Elena began, inhaling sharply while she placed her hands onto her knees and looked down at her left hand, the glistening diamond ring that Kai had given her was suddenly feeling awfully heavy on her finger.

"You and I both know that me being there shouldn't happen. Caroline, I can't watch him marry someone else….And," Elena swallowed the lump forming in her throat, she felt like she was dying, her heart being ripped into pieces as she thought about it. Why was it so selfish?

"I'm being selfish. I know. But, I loved him. God, I loved him so much more than she probably ever knows. More than anyone will ever know, including him." Elena exhaled deeply, gripping her hands tightly together as Caroline took a seat on her bed and took Elena's hands into her own, looking directly into her watery eyes.

"I still hate myself for what I did to him. The guilt hasn't left me and it never will. Stefan fought for me when everyone else wanted to give up. He wanted to build a life with me and I threw it all away. I know that he's happy and a part of me is so thrilled for him. Yet," She paused, trying to find the right words to describe how she was feeling.

"I lost him once and now, I'm losing him again. I know it's selfish and I shouldn't be feeling like this the night before his wedding day. Although, I can't lose him again. Caroline, I can't." Elena told her, leaning into the blonde's shoulder and sobbing as she found herself fighting for a breath. Caroline sat in silence for a while with her, holding her best friend against her as she stroked Elena's hair and before the brunette could say anything else, Caroline spoke first. "I think that you should go meet with Aubrey alone. I know that it's a stupid idea. But, maybe it'll help you move forward, Elena. Honey, I know that you still love him and that you miss him terribly. But, sweetie, Stefan is finally happy and so are you. I think that you need to go meet with Aubrey and just get to know her better." Caroline suggested as Elena wiped away her tears and sniffled. Caroline did have a good point, maybe meeting Stefan's soon to be wife would give Elena a better picture of the new woman that Stefan had brought into his life and what made her so special to him. It's not like they would be best friends. However, they could at least be friends for the sake of Ben and Stefan.

Elena nervously stood in front of the white door of the hotel where many unfamiliar faces were coming in and out of the room, all tending to every need of the bride. She waited outside for a few minutes until she could make sure that Aubrey was completely alone before she knocked on the door.

"Come in." Aubrey's voice sang out as Elena slowly pushed the door open and glanced up at the blushing bride. She was radiant, glowing even. "Elena! It's so nice to see you!" Aubrey smiled, rushing over to her as she hugged her tightly and then stepped away after a few minutes. Elena inhaled sharply, imagining herself in the dress. In this very position, she could have had been in with Stefan just a few years before. Shaking the image from her mind, she exhaled a deep breath before she replied. "You look absolutely stunning and I'm sure that Stefan is super anxious to see you." Elena's words were sincere as they could be without breaking her own heart. She was trying, for the sake of everyone and herself to let the guilt and hurt go. She was trying to move on from the past and she had thought that she had been doing a pretty damn good job. That was until this very moment, where it all felt like it was suffocating her just looking at Aubrey and how happy she was.

"Thank you." Aubrey smiled, gesturing for her to sit down as she took a seat near the vanity in the hotel suite, putting on a pair of overly priced diamond studded earrings.

"Elena, what are you doing in here?" She heard her ask as Elena's eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest. It wasn't clearly a personal visit. They barely even knew each other! She cleared her throat, anxiously pushing her hair to one side as she looked Stefan's bride to be up and down and then she stated softly. "I wanted to wish you well with him. With both of them. Aubrey, I promise that I'm not going to stand in the way of you loving my son and Stefan. Because, they deserve happiness and more than anything they deserve a world filled with love. They've both been through hell because of me. So, I guess I just came in here to tell you that I want you to love them gently and patiently." Elena choked back tears as she tugged on her dress, getting up and walking back towards the door of the suite before she became a crying mess in front of Aubrey. "I loved him very much, you know. For a very long time, he was my everything and he still is in a lot of ways. But, now I know that I need to let him go. So, I just came by to tell you that I wish you and Stefan all the best and I hope and pray that he becomes everything and more to you, like he had once been to me. He's a wonderful man, Aubrey and he will give you the whole world without a second thought. So cherish him, please."

Aubrey was wiping away her own tears as she caught the door before it closed in her face, calling after Elena. "Wait!" She shouted out, making her way slowly towards the elevators where Elena was now standing. "You need to know that he still loves you too. Elena, I know that he's never going to look at me or love me the way that he still loves you. But, I promise you that I'll take your advice and I'll cherish him. Because we both know that he and Ben deserve that and so much more." She smiled, hugging Elena tightly, backing away just slightly as she whispered into her ear. "I'm never going to replace you from his heart and I don't ever want too. I still want you to be in Ben and Stefan's lives, Elena. Because, you clearly deserve that as well. You're a wonderful and selfless human being. Stefan's a lucky man to have such a beautiful son with such an amazing woman like you."

"Where is he?" Katherine rushed into the room filled with all of Stefan's groomsmen, she was in a frantic panic. He hadn't been picking up his cell phone and neither had Damon for the past two hours. The worst part of it all was that the wedding was set to start in an hour from now and no one had heard from the groom or the best man since earlier in the morning when they had said they were on their way to the hotel.

"He's not here?" Kai asked while shrugging his shoulders back, popping his stiff feeling neck. Katherine's nostrils flared up as she angrily shook her head. No one knew where they were and she was getting beyond frustrated because Ben was asking about his father. "I don't know what to do! Ben keeps asking when his dad's coming-." Katherine was cut off by the chuckling of Klaus as he came up behind her and patted her shoulder. "Kitty Kat, I have a solution. Call his mother." Klaus winked, shaking his head as he laughed, he wasn't even sure why the hell she hadn't thought about that beforehand.

"You want me to have Ben sit with Elena for a while, until we find Stefan?" All the men in the room nodded their heads in agreement. "Yes!" They shouted as Katherine smiled a little, beating herself up as to why she hadn't thought of that idea before.

"Fine then, I'll go find her and they can sit together." Katherine stated, leaving the room as she continued to wonder where the hell the brother's had gone off to. She dialed Damon's phone number as it went straight to voicemail. "Hi honey! This is your wife and I just wanted to remind you and your stupid ass of a brother, the groom- that today- right now, actually. It's not the time for a fucking adventure, Damon Salvatore! You and your brother better be at the ceremony before the bride and all of our wedding guests lose their shit and we call this whole thing off! Because, if I don't see you here soon, you'll be sleeping on the couch, all week long! Love you!" Katherine nearly yelled, rounding the corner, Katherine hung up the phone and just as she was about to walk across the hall to knock on Elena's hotel room door. She found herself being an outsider to a tender mother and son moment that she didn't have the heart to interrupt.

"Benjamin Salvatore. What are you doing out here by yourself?" Elena smiled, kneeling in front of the little boy who was sitting quietly, all dressed up in a black suit with a red tie, matching the rest of the groomsmen. His small dress shoes were kicked off near the side of the bench as he stared down at them, he looked a bit disappointed as he looked over at the shiny black shoes. "No one calls me Benjamin, unless I'm in trouble." He informed her before he added on. "I was waiting for daddy. He was supposed to help me tie my shoes." Ben shrugged his shoulders as Elena picked them up and looked over at them. She was going to ask him why it was that he couldn't tie them himself. However, she got the answer before she could even open her mouth to form a sentence. "I wanted daddy to show me again because I forgot how to do it." He stated as Elena placed both of her hands onto her son's knees and gave him a heartwarming smile.

"I can show you." She offered, shrugging her shoulders back as she placed her hand on one of his shoes. Elena examined it for a few minutes before she spoke again. "Ben. Honey, I know that you don't know me very well at all. But, I wanted to tell you something very important." Elena started to say, feeling the nervousness in her stomach build as she untied one of Ben's shoes and slide his right foot into it, the little boy was admiring her dark brown hair that matched his own as Katherine watched from a distance, praying that Elena wasn't going to tell him the truth about who she was to him.

"What is it?" He asked, smiling up at her as she placed his other foot into his left shoe and then she took a seat next to him after she made sure that they were tied really well. Elena turned to her left side, rummaging through her bag when she finally found what she was looking for. It was small, a little laminated book filled with old pictures that Elena had made a few years ago as a reminder to herself of who she once was and what she was fighting for to get better.

"I wanted to show you these." Elena commented, handing the little six-year-old boy the small looking scrapbook. Elena watched silently as he scanned the pictures over, pointing to one of them in particular. Then, he asked the question that Elena had been waiting for. "Why is daddy in these pictures?" Elena smiled, lifting up her hand as she smiled sweetly at him, trying her best to find the words to explain such a confusing situation to her son.

"Well," She paused for a moment, rubbing her thumb over a baby picture of Ben. It had been just a few days after Elena and Stefan had brought him back to the apartment and they were all settling in as a family. "Ben," She began, catching his attention as he glanced up at her, his matching brown eyes full of wonder.

"You know how your mommy Aubrey has been in your life since you were a very little boy?" She asked as he smiled. "Yea." Ben stated as Elena gently opened up the book and showed him a picture of herself when Ben was still inside of her womb.

"Honey, your mommy Aubrey has been in your life for a very long time. But, so have I. Sweetheart, I was your mommy when you were in my belly." She explained, watching as he curiously looked over at her stomach and then back at the pictures. Elena inhaled deeply, praying that he would understand in his own way. She tried again. "Ben, do you understand?"

He nodded, tilting his head to the side with a smile. "So, I have two mommies. You and Aubrey?" He asked. Elena ruffled the top of his head as she too relaxed a bit. "Yes, Ben. You have two mommies. I was your mommy when you were in my belly and Aubrey is your new mommy." She told him as he looked up at her suddenly with a softening glance as he asked. "I like Aubrey a lot. But, why aren't you my mommy anymore?"

"Because, your daddy and I-." Elena began to say just as Katherine rushed in, noticing that Stefan and Damon were walking towards them down the hallway, beers were in their hands and they were both singing loudly. "Wonderful! Just fucking wonderful. You're both drunk as shit!" She announced, turning back towards Elena as she mouthed for her to get Ben out of the hallway and to Klaus.

"I'll need you to come back and help me deal with these two after you drop him off with his Uncle." Katherine stated, shaking her head in disappointment as she continued yelling at the brothers who seemed to not give a care in the world.

"Why are you two drunk at 3:30 in the afternoon?" Katherine asked them, trying her hardest not to be repulsed by the lingering heavy scent of booze coming from Stefan and Damon's mouths as they sang loudly. "I don't want anyone else but youuuuuuu…." Stefan sang out, taking a hold of Katherine's hand and twirling her around the hallway. "Stop ignoring my question!" She shouted at them, trying to direct them into one of the empty suites that their wedding guests were occupying. Although, the keycard in her hand wasn't working properly. "Why are you both drunk at 3:30? The wedding starts at 7pm tonight! What is wrong with you guys!" She shouted at them, trying her best to keep her temper in check as she rolled her eyes at them both. Why was she always seeming to be the one to piece them both together?

"Because we started drinking at 8am this morning." He winked jokingly, slurring his words as he stumbled to his feet and pulled out a new keycard. Katherine watched him walk past her and she felt him stop by her, slapping her butt while he passed by. "Firm and juicy! Just how I've always liked your ass." He smiled with a mischievous grin as Katherine watched him open up one of the rooms and walk right into it, Damon leaned against the door. "Brother! He shouted at Stefan, waving him over.

Katherine placed her hands on to her hips, observing the very drunk and uncoordinated brothers walk into the bedroom together. Damon smirked at her, telling her that he'd see her later. "Sorry, babe. No women allowed. Tonight, my brother and I are drinking until the wedding nuptials start."

"Oh, over my dead body you two are!" Katherine yelled, quickening her steps as she walked towards the door just as Damon slammed it in her face.

"You two are going to pay for this! I swear to God, Damon Salvatore. I am going to kill you and Stefan once I get access to that room!" Katherine yelled, marching downstairs as she angrily passed by a very confused looking Elena. "Those two have decided that they wanted to have a girls night, hours before the wedding! Maybe you can talk some sense into them. Excuse me, as I go get another key card before I have to resort to busting down the door in my Jimmy Choo high heels!"

Elena watched Katherine leave, turning back to head to the hotel room just as Stefan opened the door and smiled up at her. "Hello beautiful." He smirked, his tie was loosened around his neck, his eyes were blood shot and clearly filled with longing and lust as Elena felt the butterflies growing inside of her stomach. She wasn't going to ruin another woman's wedding tonight, she promised herself. She was going to be civilized and keep her promise to herself. She was over Stefan Salvatore. They were over and done with and now they were both happy with two wonderful people.

"Hi." She said with a flat tone, watching Stefan take uncoordinated steps forward and then one slightly backwards to her. Elena caught him under his arm as he leaned into her ear, whispering softly. "Tell me that I'm making a mistake, Elena. Tell me that I shouldn't marry her. Please, baby, tell me that this wedding is a mistake and I'll walk away from it. I'll walk away and we can be together, just like before."

A/N: Oh goodness, those STELENA FEELS!

Please feel free to leave me a review with your thoughts!

Follow me on twitter for updates at: BePassionate_24


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU.AH. SEQUEL TO "MUST LOVE DOGS." Six years after leaving just a letter behind as a goodbye. Elena finally returns to Florida in an attempt to reconnect with the son she doesn't know. Stefan is raising Ben & working as Lexi's business partner. They're both about to learn that loving again is easy. But, moving on will be even harder.(Stelena,Klaroline,Datherine,Lexi/Kol)

A/N: Hi readers...All I can say is brace yourselves! :)

Thanks so much for reading and enjoy!

Remember Me- Chapter Eight

The instant the door closed behind her, knots grew deeper within her stomach. She watched him, taking an uncoordinated step forward as he spoke. "I'm sorry for everything that I did too. You know, the night you left. I took Ben to Damon's and I left him there for a few days. I wasn't ready or responsible enough to be a father. To be his father. I didn't want to be in this world without you either. I wasn't ready for any of it because I thought that we were going to do it all together. Elena, he changed my whole life. But, you did too. You turned everything that I once knew, upside down and then, you blinded sided me. You left and it nearly killed me, Elena. I know that we both made a lot of mistakes. But, you leaving me behind was one of the worst things that you could have done. It wasn't fair. It was downright selfish!"

Elena choked back her tears as she exhaled out a shaky breath. She knew that he had been heartbroken. But, she didn't know just how much she had hurt him. "Stefan, I'm sorry." Elena whispered softly, watching him take a few more steps towards her until she was pressed against the wall and he stood in front of her, his hand lifted up while he caressed her damp cheeks on each side of her face, examining the tears that were dripping down her chin. Stefan leaned forward and kissed her forehead, pulling her into his embrace as he held her against him. Neither of them said anything, just stood in silence together for a long time. After a few minutes, Stefan backed away first, his breath still reeking of booze as he cupped her face in both of his hands, staring deeply into her eyes.

"I love you, Elena. And, she knows that too. My heart can't fucking help it. You hurt me like no one has ever done and Aubrey healed me. But, the day that I saw you again at the condo, everything that I had been suppressing and had once felt for you. It all came rushing back…I have always loved you.." His voice broke, his eyes were glazed over with unshed tears. "Please," He begged, watching her carefully as she took her shaky hands and placed them on each side of his face. "You'd be breaking her heart if you broke off the wedding, Stefan. Aubrey Whitmore loves you so loyally that I can't let you do that to her. Stefan, you should be honest. You should have been honest with her and told her that-."

He cut her off, anger in his tone suddenly as he took a step back, running his hands through his hair. Stefan was frustrated and pissed off as all hell. "Telling her what? That I'm still fucking in love with my ex? That all I had ever wanted was for you to come back, so that we could try it all over again. So, that could finally be a family. That since you came back, all I keep thinking about is how much I still want you? That I can't stop thinking about touching you, kissing you. How I just want to hold you in my arms and make up for all the lost time between us! Elena, we both know that I can't do that. I just can't."

Tears were falling down her cheeks now and she couldn't really look at him. How far they had come, from the guy who only seemed to give a damn about himself and from the girl that he couldn't get through to. And, now they were here. Both heartbroken and still in love. Yet, the logical answer both was staring them in the face. Truth was that Stefan and Elena just couldn't be together, no matter how much they wanted to. "I can still feel you all around me, Stefan. Whenever I look into his eyes, I see you. I just-." Her words were cut off quickly, the feeling of his cold and soft hands were against her cheeks before she knew it, Stefan stared into her eyes and then he kissed her. Elena felt her back being pressed against the hotel room door, his hands were pulling her closer to him, their chests were pressed against one another so tightly that Stefan could feel her breath catch as he lifted the hem of her skirt up towards her torso. God, he missed her, everything about her. Elena moaned against his mouth, her hands running through his hair, traveling down his neck as her lips pressed firmly against his skin quickly followed. The scent of him was intoxicating and it felt like home, it felt like everything she had been missing. Stefan pushed her hair back, his nails ran over her heated skin as she tilted her head back, allowing him more access to her neck, feeling his teeth scrapping against the fragile flesh, Elena moaned out his name, begging him to not stop.

A knock on the door and Katherine's pissed off tone broke the moment between them as Stefan pushed himself back, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, groaning. Elena heaved out an uneven breath. This was sinful and wrong, she thought. But, she couldn't get enough of him and part of her wanted nothing more than for Stefan to just call off the wedding. She watched him as he ran his hands through his hair. "Stefan, open the damn door. I don't have a key card for this room. So, you better open up, right now!" Katherine yelled.

"I'll be right there." He said, his voice sounded horse and raspy as he was still trying to calm his racing heart. Elena stood still, her eyes wide with worry as Stefan took her hand, pulling her into the bathroom. He stepped inside with her for a moment, closing the door. Elena glanced over at him. He didn't have any residue of her lipstick anywhere on him, nor was there any evidence of her scent upon his clothing. But the feeling of her mouth on his skin, still lingered like fire.

"We can't do that again. Ever again." She warned, feeling as if she had just allowed herself to cheat on Kai.

"It was just a kiss." Stefan replied, trying to justify his actions that had taken over.

He heard her laugh, looking down at the floor as she licked her bottom lip. Elena was ready to argue him on it. Although, right now wasn't the right time. "You and I both know that if Katherine hadn't just knocked on that door when she did. That kiss. That simple kiss. It would have turned into a hell of a lot more than that. God damn it, Stefan! I still want you. But, I know that I can't have you anymore and this, it needs to stop!" She exclaimed, causing him to take a step towards her. Stefan knew she was right. But, he promised himself that he wouldn't dare do anything anymore to hurt Aubrey. She didn't deserve it and neither did anyone else. Elena's heart was still racing, her hands trembled as he took a step to her and pulled her against his chest.

"I can't love you anymore, Stefan. We need to let this go. We had a past and now, it's over. Please, let me go." Elena urged as her hands slide up and down his chest, her head resting gently against him. She could feel his right hand tangling in her hair while he kissed the top of her head. "I know." He whispered, taking his hand and lifting up Elena's chin with his fingertips, Stefan forced her to look him in the eyes.

"You're right. Aubrey deserves better. And, I know that I can't make you stay anymore and you shouldn't. Elena, I am always going to love you, no matter what." He told her. She felt his lips press against her own once more, gently and simply before he pulled away and just held her in his arms.

"I don't want to say goodbye to you." Elena told him, burying her face into his chest, hearing him whisper in a soft tone. "I know. But, we have to say goodbye. I'm getting married." Elena felt the tears creeping upon her as Stefan held her tightly, telling her that this wasn't really a goodbye. "Ben's going to need his mother. So, this isn't really a goodbye, Elena. It's more of a…I'll be seeing you around." Stefan told her as she pulled him closer. "I know." She cried, feeling him rub her back as she inhaled deeply, feeling him move them outside of the bathroom and back into the hotel's bedroom.

"Stefan! You've got two minutes to open that door!" Katherine yelled out, pounding her fist against it as Stefan stared over at Elena. "Are you ready for this?" He asked as she exhaled deeply. She wasn't really sure of what he was referring to. The fact that in about two hours, she was going to watch the love of her life marry another woman or the fact that the wrath of Katherine Salvatore was about to blow through the room. Whichever it was, Elena reminded herself that she needed to act like an adult in either situation and he was right, this wasn't truly goodbye.

"Yes." Elena nodded, watching as Stefan fixed his tie, opening the door with one quick motion of his hand as they both stopped and stared directly at Katherine who looked awfully agitated and unhappy.

"Oh, I hope to God that neither of you took advantage of the other one in this room tonight. I mean, she's engaged to Kai Parker and you are about to marry a very wealthy Whitmore woman." Katherine stated, closing the door behind her as Stefan took a seat on the bed trying his best to ignore the intrusion.

"Nothing happened." Elena quickly said, watching Katherine roll her eyes and scoff. "Yeah, sure it didn't. With the amount of sexual tension and history that the two of you have together and both of you being in the same room together for a little more than an hour. I'm supposed to believe that nothing happened at all?" She asked them as Katherine watched Elena take a seat next to Stefan who had his hands on top of his head, covering his eyes.

"We talked, caught up. Now, Katherine. For the love of God, please leave and let me go get ready for my wedding." Stefan told her, an irritated tone leaving past his lips. Katherine sighed deeply, trying to believe what they were both telling her was indeed the truth. She glanced around the room, it didn't seem like anything was out of order and their clothing wasn't disheveled when she looked them both over very quickly. "Fine, be all secretive. But, I am not an idiot. My advice to you is this, Stefan Salvatore. Make sure that Elena leaves this room before any one of your groomsmen or one of the Whitmore's comes in here to talk with you. Which, by leaves. I mean, she does it when I do too. Like, NOW!" Katherine told him, leaving the room quietly. Stefan lifted himself up from the bed as he watched Elena glance at herself in the mirror. Her stomach tightened when she caught him staring at her too. "You're so beautiful." He said softly, forcing her to turn back towards him.

"Stefan," She began to say, watching as he got up and moved towards her once again. His hand instantly went to her cheek, his thumb bushing back strands of her dark brown hair. Elena was weak in the knees as she pressed her side into the dresser drawer behind her. His hands were on her hips while he pulled her to him, her heart was racing as he licked his bottom lip and looked her over. "You need to go." He warned, nearly growling out his words. Stefan couldn't handle it anymore, being this distance and yet being so close at the same time to Elena was going to be the death of him. Elena was going to make him do something really stupid and it was just by the simple glance within her eyes. She wanted him as much as he wanted her, he could tell. Although, they were both fighting with themselves to not act upon their true intentions.

"I should." She agreed, trying to distance her mind from all of the filthy thoughts that were running through it. She needed to regain control, she needed to not make herself or him become a cheater. Elena inhaled deeply, the scent of his cologne swirling around her as she bit down on her lips with her teeth. If she got any closer, she'd be kissing him, she'd be wanting him more than she ever had wanted anything in her life. Then it happened, the thoughts of Kai ran through her mind. The night they met at their first counseling session in London and how he'd sit with her, listening to how broken hearted she was, how much she fucked things up back in the states with Stefan. He knew it all and doing something reckless like sleeping with Stefan would destroy him.

She ran her fingertips over his jawline, feeling the newly formed stubble beginning to form underneath the surface. If only it wasn't this very moment- the wrong one- that was bringing them back together. If only he wasn't marrying someone else who Elena knew that he was better off with. Stefan's darkened green eyes filled with desire as Elena leaned into him, their lips just inches apart as she whispered the very last words that he'd probably hear from her in a long while. "I love you so much. And, because of that, I need to let you go. You need to marry Aubrey. Because, she's a lot better for you than I am." She told him in a broken tone, kissing him softly once more before she pushed herself away and left the room without another word. Stefan stood in the middle of the room, his mouth hung open as he glanced up to see Damon giving him a perplexed look.

"What the actual fuck was that?" He asked, noticing that Elena had tears in her eyes when she rushed past him and back to her room.

Stefan placed both of his hands into his pocket, a helpless look in his eyes. He knew that she was right and maybe that's what hurt even more. "She's right, you know. Me and her will never be like we once were. I need to stop chasing her ghost." He replied back to his brother, hearing Damon close the door behind him. He leaned his back against it as he stared his younger brother up and down. "Come again?" He asked, trying to make sense of it all while his mind was still fairly foggy from the alcohol that they had consumed just hours before.

"You're not thinking about canceling this wedding, are you?" Damon asked, hearing a light knock on the door as he turned back to it, opening the door up to allow Katherine inside of the room. She looked almost as if she was ready to start a fight with both of them. Yet, something pulled her back- maybe it was the look of utter confusion and terror on Stefan's face. He looked like a lost puppy, heart brokenly trying to make sense of the situation that had just unfolded before him. "I had to finally let her go." He said, wiping the tears from his own eyes.

"What's this about canceling the wedding?" She directed the question to Stefan and then towards her husband. Pointing towards the close door, Katherine let them both have it. "Listen to me you two morons. Caroline, Aubrey's family and myself have poured everything we have into this wedding. Now, since your brother can't keep it in his fucking pants over the girl that broke his heart and caused this whole mess. I'm going to tell you both one thing. Stefan Salvatore, you would be a total idiot for canceling this wedding over someone who is just temporarily in your life right now!" She exclaimed, rolling her eyes as Stefan sat down on the edge of the bed, his elbows were on knees and his head was in between his legs as he tried to think of a solution to his problem. Although, he was thinking more so with his heart than his head at the moment.

"I'm still in love with Elena, Katherine. Look, I know you hate her for what she did to me. But, I forgave her a long time ago. She gave me something that money can't buy. She loved me and changed me for the better. She gave me the best gift on this earth, our son, Ben. Listen, I know that you hate her because of how she hurt me. But, she left me, not you. She was sick for years and I didn't understand it …" His voice trailed off as he spoke about Elena with a defensive tone.

Katherine scoffed, not being able to really believe what he was saying at the moment. "She left you? Right. She left you and she left that little boy. You know, what she else did, Stefan? Elena Gilbert left your brother, myself and all of our friends to pick up the pieces of your broken heart and your life. To fill the void of being a caretaker for Ben when you got sick. She left all of us! Everything stopped for you when Elena left and to be honest, that's when I started to hate her. I never did before. But, when she left Ben behind, it broke my heart. Then, you met Aubrey and I swear to god it was like this new life was being breathed into you whenever you were with her. Whenever you are with her." She told him, taking a seat beside him as Damon watched on, curious as to what else his wife was going to say because she really did seem to be on a roll.

"This woman who is waiting to marry the man of her dreams don't deserve to be lied to. She also doesn't deserve to be cheated on or deceived. It isn't fair. So, if you're going into this union without a clear mind and with thoughts of a past that you clearly can't change and should just be at peace with. But, aren't. Then, I suggest you call it off and are honest with this girl. However, if you promise yourself that you'll just keep things cordial between yourself and the mother of your son. That you can be true, honest and faithful to only Aubrey Whitmore and still be caring towards Elena in a nice way. Then, I say, get your ass out of this hotel room and let's go get you married." Katherine told him, watching as he processed her words, telling them both to leave the room as he needed some time to himself before the ceremony began.

Hours had passed by and now here he was looking at his brother and the large crowd that had gathered around for the ceremony. Damon patted his shoulder, leaning over and whispering that he was making the right choice. Stefan nodded, he knew that he was making the right choice and that being here was where he needed to be. His past was his past and he shouldn't have to relive it, no matter how much part of him was dying inside for her. He knew that deep down, they would never really make it. The main focus of his relationship with her needed to be simple. It needed to be all about their son and nothing more. Ben needed to know his mother and Stefan needed to put whatever his feelings truly were for Elena behind him because their son needed both of his parents to be civilized and around him without conflict.

Stefan's hands were shaking as he stood beside his brother, Klaus and a few others from within the Whitmore family. Stefan had taken the last 30 minutes before the wedding to process Katherine's seemingly wise advice. So, there he was now, looking out into the crowd as the music stopped and Aubrey held on to his hands. He felt sick to his stomach, an uneasy feeling crept into his mind. But looking at her smiling face made every unsure feeling that he had disappear.

"It's going to be okay." He whispered under his breath as he grabbed onto Aubrey's hands a little tighter and he heard the ceremony begin. "Dearly beloved, we are all gathered here this evening to celebrate a beautiful union between two lovely souls." The woman who was initiating the wedding spoke as she smiled at both Stefan and Aubrey. Everything else seemed to turn into a blur as they both nervously stood up there and Stefan glanced over at Elena for a second, just in time as the vows began. He looked over at her, her eyes filled with unshed tears as she nodded her head. They both knew it, this was the beginning of the end for them and now, it was all finally over. His heart still hurt as he looked over at her and then returned his focus back to his future wife, just in time to say. "Aubrey, with this ring, I give you my promise that from this day forward, you shall not walk alone. May my heart be your shelter and my arms be your home. May God bless you always. May we talk together through all things. May you feel deeply loved, for indeed you are. May you always see your innocence in my eyes.

I give you my heart. I have no greater gift to give. I promise I shall always do my best. I feel so honored to call you my wife. I feel so pleased to call you mine and may we feel this joy forever."

The officiant cleared her throat, looking throughout the crowd as they smiled at everyone right after Aubrey had finished her wedding vows. Elena sat silently, wiping away the tears in her eyes as she suddenly let go of Kai's hand and excused herself before the happy couple's ceremony was over with.

"I need some air." She whispered to him, moving quickly through the crowd just as she heard the officiant tell Stefan that he could now kiss his bride. Elena didn't turn around, she didn't want to see the rest of it as she made her way to the door and the cool breeze coming from the ocean calmed her nerves once she was outside. Elena walked up and down the beach for what seemed like hours. She wasn't really keeping track anymore since all she could feel inside of her heart was numbness. She wanted the pain to go away. But, then she thought back to her time in Portland with Stefan and how she had picked up and left. Maybe this was how he felt at the time. Now she was feeling it too, torn apart inside and broken.

"Elena!" A voice called out to her, the wind making it echo as she slowly turned around, watching Kai ran towards her, his breath staggered when he finally caught up to her. "Elena! There you are!" He called out, finally reaching her. He was smiling for a moment, until he saw her mascara covered smeared cheeks in the light of the moon and the lights coming from the reception hall where Stefan and Aubrey had just finished dancing their first dance as newlyweds.

"Babe, talk to me." He urged her, watching her ran her hands through her hair, trying to prevent the wind from blowing it in every which way. "Elena, please." Kai urged again, feeling helpless as he clearly noticed that she was falling apart and it had a lot to do with the fact that Stefan just got married.

"I can't do this anymore." Elena replied, sounding distant as she looked back at the reception hall and Kai gave her a confused look, trying to understand exactly what she meant. "Can't do what anymore?" He asked her, listening as she struggled for words. Elena heaved out a breath, falling into Kai's arms, she spoke softly into his ear. "Take me back home, Kai. Take me back to London so that I never have to see Stefan Salvatore's face again. It hurts too much, seeing him with someone else. It hurts too much!" She exclaimed, feeling as Kai's arms unwrapped from around her and he cupped her face into the palms of his hands. "I'd do anything for you, Elena. But, I can't stand by you as you clearly still love someone else. You still love Stefan, don't you?"

The tears were cascading down her cheeks now as she nodded her head and replied simply. "I never stopped loving him and that's why I need to go back to London, to distance myself because staying here is only going to do me more harm than good."

A/N: I think we need a time jump of a few months...Thoughts?


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU.AH. SEQUEL TO "MUST LOVE DOGS." Six years after leaving just a letter behind as a goodbye. Elena finally returns to Florida in an attempt to reconnect with the son she doesn't know. Stefan is raising Ben & working as Lexi's business partner. They're both about to learn that loving again is easy. But, moving on will be even harder.(Stelena,Klaroline,Datherine,Lexi/Kol)

A/N: Hi all! Here is the next chapter to this story. Remember that it's now a 6 month time jump and a few things have changed which will be explained throughout the story. Also, new things will be revealed about the characters. Lastly, before you all get mad at me..Please remember that I ALWAYS write STELENA end games and that even though they might not be together for a while in this story. They will be together again, eventually. ;)

Remember Me- Chapter Nine

6 months later….

"So, I'm a civil engineer. I make the streets of London look beautiful." He smiled, his blonde hair looked a mess as Elena tried her hardest to look as if she was remotely interested in anything that he had to say. His name, for the life of her, she couldn't remember his name. Was it Tom? Timothy? Ugh, what the hell was his name? All she knew was that he had pretty blonde hair, nice blue eyes and a drop dead gorgeous smile on his face when he laughed, which made her heart palpitate a bit.

"Hm, that sounds nice." She replied back to him, hoping that he wouldn't notice the look of distain on her face. She wasn't pleased and frankly, she was bored with him and the long hour date. This was her fifth date of the week and it wasn't going so well again. Kai and her had broken up for good two months after they moved back to London and now, she was attempting to throw herself back into the dating world. Although, the London dating scene was nearly as bad as the United States one. She hated being alone. Elena thought about going back to her apartment and then she smiled to herself. "You know what?" She asked, more to herself than to him.

Timothy- Tom, slicked his hair back as he smirked a little, leaning forward. "What?" He questioned, his eyes glistening while he watched her tilt back her head, slurping down the shot of the strongest Tequila she had drank in a while. "Have you ever done the friends with benefits thing?" She watched his dark blue eyes grow wide. He seemed like a fairly nice business man, probably with a strange foot fetish or something and part of Elena wanted to know what his deal was.

"Friends with benefits?" He asked, playing dumb as Elena laughed. "Yea, screwing each other without strings attached. A fuck buddy?" She clarified, sounding a bit blunter.

"You want me to sleep with you?" She heard him ask as she leaned forward and grabbed a hold of his hand, caressing his hand with a light touch. Timothy- Tom smiled at her, he was buying into it and Elena was starting to think of the things she'd do to him, only given the chance. She'd take him back to her apartment and things would hopefully escalate from there, without much of an effort.

"Timothy, of course I do." She bluntly told him, watching as his eyebrows raised and he opened his mouth to correct her from making the mistake of saying his name wrong again, because apparently- It wasn't Timothy nor was it Tom!

Elena watched him get up, fixing his t-shirt as he extended out his hand to her. "You ready to go?" He asked, watching Elena lean back into her chair as she spun a strand of her hair in between her fingers and smirked at him. Oh, was she ready. She was pretty drunk and in the morning, his name wouldn't even matter. Although, she was curious and she really needed this- a damn good distraction. Which, he seemed like the perfect candidate for just that.

"Yes." She said, taking a hold of his hand while glancing over her shoulder as she noticed that he didn't even leave a tip. Elena guided him out the door and thankfully out to an alley way where she felt his hand slip underneath her shirt. "You really can't wait, can you?" She tauntingly asked him, hearing him chuckle, he drunkly pushed her back against the brick wall of the building and kissed her lips, his hands working their way underneath her shirt. It had been a while since any man had touched her like this, setting her heart to race and her skin on fire. Elena knew that without a doubt that within minutes, she'd be putty in his hot little hands and the part of her that felt destroyed and was aching, wanted this more than anything.

"You're the one who started this." He replied back with a coy tone, kissing Elena's neck as she ran her hands through his hair. This whole thing was meaningless. It wasn't like she was going to cook him breakfast in the morning. To be honest, she didn't even want him staying at her place after they slept together and for some reason, she was really feeling like she needed to clarify her terms and conditions before they set off into a meaningless night of fun and no strings attached sex. "Listen here, Timothy…Whatever your name is…" Her voice trailed off as he stopped kissing her neck and looked up at her with a hazy glance. "My name is Travis." He replied, hearing Elena laugh. Right, she knew she was pretty close with it. Actually, she was totally wrong. But, it really didn't matter in the moment- really nothing except for him being naked mattered. "Travis, sweet, very hot and blue eyed Travis. Listen up," She paused, licking her lips as she smiled at him, placing both of her hands onto his face before she concluded. "You're not staying for breakfast. Travis, I don't want you to stick around for good. To be honest, I don't want things to be that serious with you. At all. If I had wanted that, I would have asked you more questions and not seemed so distant during our time together. So, let's cut to the chase. You and I are going to go back to my place, we're going to keep drinking until things happen. Do you need me to elaborate?" The smile on his face was plastered on as he nodded. He pulled Elena closer towards him as he kissed her cheek and whispered softly. "I am going to make you forget all about what's his name, the guy that you're clearly depressed about."

"Right. I doubt it. But, it'll be fun to watch you try." Elena shot back, shaking her head as she grabbed a hold of his hand, taking him back to her apartment and praying that she wasn't making a total mistake and that he wouldn't wind up getting attached because- that was the last thing she needed or wanted.

"Morning, Lexi." Stefan shouted, fixing his tie as he stared down at his wedding ring, a stupid grin appeared across his face. He left Aubrey sleeping in their bed this morning and part of him hated the fact that he had to leave so early for the morning meeting.

"Stefan." Kol answered back, causing the younger Salvatore brother to give him a perplexed look.

"Lex stayed in this morning, feeling like crap. I'm starting to think that she has the flu." He commented, hearing Stefan inhale sharply as turned towards his office. He was leaving in a few days for a work conference to London and then from there he was going to be staying in Sweden for a training that helped him and a few others learn how to drive sales for the interior design firm. "Well, hopefully she starts feeling better. I actually dropped Ben off to my father's house since Aubrey has meetings all day too. She's modeling again, she's got a photoshoot in the Maldives in a few weeks. I'm pretty happy for her."

Kol pushed himself off of the door frame of Stefan's office, watching as he pulled out his laptop and placed his keys onto his desk, getting ready for his day. "Do you ever miss it?" Kol asked him suddenly, watching Stefan pause as he tilted his head to the side. "Miss what?" Stefan asked him curiously. Stefan had missed a lot of things lately and he had been thinking of switching back to real estate. However, ever since he had stepped out of the lime light and took a few years off from it, he had felt as if it was going to be a lot harder to step back into that profession. "Of course, I do. I miss working with my brother and being my own boss. I miss working real estate so much that I'm actually going to London to meet with someone that I haven't seen in a while."

"Your ex?" Kol asked with an excited tone. He knew that the idea was farfetched and he could tell that he was probably wrong since the look on Stefan's face was one of annoyance.

"Pretty sure that Elena doesn't know anything about real estate." Stefan replied with a wink, telling Kol that he had a few plans to finalize before he was to be leaving in a few days. "Alright then," Kol paused near the door again, watching Stefan take a seat as he picked up the phone to call a few associates of his that he had known before he started working for Lexi. "Does Lexi know that you want to leave this place and start your own business again?"

Stefan shrugged his shoulders, running his hands through his hair. "I haven't told her yet. Honestly, you're the first person that I've told. I need to talk to a few people first, your brother being one of them." Stefan said, telling Kol to close the door and that he'd be seeing him later.

"Ohhh, right there." Elena moaned out, arching her back forward as Travis kissed her stomach and then caressed her nipples with his tongue. She could feel her muscles contracting as he inched his way up her body. His hot breath tickled her skin while his arm pulled her closer towards his bare chest, sweat was dripping down his face as he licked her flesh.

"Don't stop, please." She begged him, feeling her whole body become heated at his every move and touch. He sure did know what he was doing and as much as she hated to admit it. The man was pretty good in bed. Her eyes closed as she envisioned being somewhere else and with someone else though, she couldn't help it. Her mind wondered as he fondled her breasts and kissed her neck, scraping his teeth upon her flesh before his lips met hers and he kissed her passionately, running his fingers through her long dark brown hair as she groaned and pleaded with him to keep up the pace. Things were going fast and she didn't even care, Elena liked the adrenaline rush that was surrounding them, the sexual tension filled the air as she broke from the kiss and sighed deeply. "I want to feel you inside of me." Travis heard her say, his erection inside of his pants growing as Elena stroked his cock and she could feel him stiffen up.

"Elena," He paused, trying to be all gentlemen like. Yet, that was the least of her worries and not really what she wanted. She needed to be way more drunk for them to have a true conversation and honestly, that wasn't part of the plan. All Elena wanted was to sleep with him and forget about it, move on and find someone else to fill the void.

"Don't talk." She giggled out, lifting her finger to his mouth as she watched him take her finger and suck on it. Elena leaned her head back, closing her eyes while she grinded her pelvis against him. Travis was hard and muscular. Her hand ran down his arm as she traced the outline of his biceps. He sure did work out, she thought. "Remember, tomorrow. None of this is going to matter." Elena ensured him as he laughed, inhaling through gritted teeth while agreeing with her. She was right, when the morning sun came up, Elena wouldn't even remember his name and she was really hoping that she wouldn't see his face again either. At least they were now on the same page. Travis Sinclair would be history when the sun came up and she'd move on to someone new.

"Meaningless." She repeated as he relaxed a bit into her, Elena smiled that she had finally gotten through to him that this little rendezvous between them meant nothing to her and it shouldn't be meaning anything to him either. "Ok." Travis nodded, replying back as he took her right hand, allowing her to undo the buckle of his pants, closing his eyes and exhaling deeply as she unzipped them, all the while Elena's eyes filled with an empty desire of lusting after him when he finally kicked his pants off and was left in nothing but his boxers. His penis was hard and erect from her hand moving across it, up and down. She grinned to herself as he rolled them over and Elena's legs wrapped around him briskly while he freed himself from his boxers and slowly sunk into her, the sound of heavy breathing and her heart wanting to jump out of her chest made the adrenaline quicken even more and her apartment bedroom fill with the sounds of undeniable pleasure.

"Do you want me to stop?" He asked her after a few minutes, his fingertips caressing her cheek as Elena's gaze met his and she shook her head. "No, I don't want you to stop, Travis. I want you to make me forget. I want you to make me forget it all, even my own name." She uttered out, pulling him down towards her as their lips met once more and Elena moaned into his mouth, feeling him relax into her as she felt him sink deeper inside of her and her heart starting to mend in the most wicked of ways.

She had her back partly turned away from him, this look of amusement playing across her lips as she tossed a few euros on to the table and continued to sip her morning coffee. The smile on his face was a bit perplexed as he felt his hands sweat and his head spin. Why was he doing this again? Meeting with her during his work conference as if they didn't have that much history, as if they were two old friends just catching up. Stefan knew that wasn't really the case as he took a seat beside her and waited for her to acknowledge him. "Oh!" She exclaimed, turning towards him as their eyes met and he smiled at her.

"It's nice to see you too." He commented, watching her move a few strands of her long light blonde hair back behind her shoulder.

"What the hell are you doing here!" He heard her exclaim, getting up from her chair to give him a hug, as if they hadn't been in touch these last few months and somewhat recoiled things. She had called him a few years prior to Elena leaving and told him how sorry she was, how wrong of her it had been to treat him the way she did all those years ago. "I'm in town for a work conference. You know, Lexi Branson now owns the building that SD Realty used to occupy and I'm working for her." He replied as she took her seat beside him again and shook her head, lighting up a cigarette and dangling it from her mouth for a moment. Stefan could smell the smoke as she turned her head and puffed out a cloud of it.

"No shit!" She said, smiling at him sweetly. Stefan was a bit relieved that their meeting was going well so far since the last that they had seen of each other hadn't gone so well. "I heard you got married, a Whitmore? Really, Stefan? What happened to Elena?" He heard her question, causing him to shift his weight around in his seat. Stefan was trying to not remember any of it. Anything that involved Elena Gilbert, Stefan was trying his damnest to forget all over again. However, he couldn't help remind himself that Elena was in this city too. He didn't know her address and didn't really wish to see her. At least, part of him felt that way in the moment.

"Elena and I went our separate ways a few months ago and ended things for good. We tried to reconcile. But, it was too hard. Honestly, the last I heard was that she's living in London now and working for this really wealthy lawyer in town." Stefan replied, watching as her blue eyes gave him a saddened look and she leaned over, placing her hand on top of his. Stefan glanced down at it, noticing the large diamond ring on her left hand as he smiled at her.

"I'm married." She smirked, leaning back as Stefan exhaled deeply, lifting his hand up and grinning. "So am I." He winked at her as she laughed and then sighed deeply while she said. "I've missed this. I've missed us, Stefan. But, you'd be proud of me. I married a very respectful and highly educated guy, that your ex-fiancé actually works for. And, I've really gotten my act together. I'm not really a raging bitch anymore." She commented jokingly.

He thought about it for a moment, he missed it too. Seeing her again made him fill with nostalgia. But, what she had just said, made him stop all together. "My ex-fiancé works for your husband?" He questioned as she laughed and smiled. "Yes. You know, it's so strange not being a Mikaelson anymore." Stefan gave her a curious glance. He wanted to know more. "So, what's his name? I mean, what's your new last name, Rebekah?"

Rebekah grinned, tossing back a few strands of her hair again as she stated with a giddy tone. "Tristan Donovan. He's Matt Donovan's older brother, surprisingly. We met when I moved to France and got really close as I worked my way through going back to school to get my master's degree in business. Now, he and I run his office together. I mostly do all the paperwork for our new clients. He's a prosecutor. One of the best in London and when-." Stefan licked his bottom lip, trying to figure out how they had both stumbled upon Elena and then he remembered who he was talking to. "Did Klaus or Kol find her this job?" He asked waiting for Rebekah to reply. She took a sip of what was left of her coffee, placing it back onto the table as she shook her head and confessed. "It was Elijah and his wife Hayley. They work with Tristan too and well, Klaus called in a little favor for Elena. But, her being the receptionist at my husband's law firm was mostly Elijah's doing."

"Interesting." Stefan mused, watching Rebekah glance down at her watch.

"Look, I only have a few more minutes before I have to go. But, I'm still trying to figure out why you wanted to meet up with me like this, out of the blue?" She questioned as Stefan cleared his throat and replied softly and hesitantly to his new idea. "I'm wanting to go back into real estate. I want to be my own boss again, have people work for me and I want to make my own hours. I hate what I'm doing at Lexi's, which has felt like a whole lot of nothing lately. I feel so useless there. I guess, I just wanted your opinion on it."

"My opinion? Why would you even care about what I thought? Stefan, you barely gave a shit when we were married. Let's be honest here." Rebekah chimed in. Stefan laughed, quickly apologizing for how he had treated her as well towards the end of it all.

"Because, everyone else thinks that it would be a horrible idea and that I'd be setting myself up for failure. Rebekah, I know that we had our differences back then when we were together and that things got really messy towards the end between us. But, there was always one thing about you that I loved the most and it was the fact that you always encouraged my dreams and passions. Never once did you tell me not to go for something that I really wanted." He said to her, watching as she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. Rebekah looked at her watch again, a look of worry appeared in her eyes as told him that she needed to really get going. "So, then do it. Stefan, do what makes you happy and don't listen to anyone else. Look, I'd love to stay and chat some more. But, I really need to get back to the office. Here's my number in case you need to call me or meet up so that we can talk about this some more while you're still in town." She told him, getting up from her seat as she curiously asked how long he was going to be in London for.

"Just until the end of the week and then I'm off to Sweden." He informed her as she nodded and tucked her cell phone into her purse. "Okay, then." She said, hearing him tap his hands against the table in front of him as he smiled sweetly at her and replied. "Thank you for this. For meeting up with me."

Rebekah laughed, wrapping the red scarf around her neck as she adjusted her cream colored jacket before pivoting on her heels and away from him as she said over her shoulder. "Anytime, Stefan. Thank you too. I'm glad we got to see each other again." And, with that Rebekah was gone. Stefan sat in the café for a few more hours, contemplating his new idea. Knowing his wife hated it and was wanting him to get more involved in Lexi's business was one of his driving forces behind wanting to branch out. Aubrey hadn't called him once since he had landed in London and it bothered him, it also bothered him that the she was seeming a little distant before he had left. Six months into the marriage and Stefan was starting to second guess himself already. Had he made the right choice after all? Maybe marrying Aubrey Whitmore wasn't really all he had imagined it was going to be like and this was just a taste of the problems that were to come for the newly married Mr. and Mrs. Salvatore.

A/N: Please feel free to let me know what you thought. :) Thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter Ten

A/N: Hey all! I'm so sorry that I've been so absent with updating things. Life has been really crazy for me these last few months. Hopefully some of you are still reading this story.

Follow me on twitter at: BePassionate_24

Remember Me- Chapter Ten

"Gather around, boys." Stefan announced, looking at all the men that had worked with and for him over the last few years, including his older brother and trusted confidant, Damon.

"What's this all about?" Klaus questioned, folding his hands together as he leaned back into his chair and stared over at his brother, Kol who seemed too busy staring at Lexi Branson from outside of the conference room to notice what was going on around him.

Katherine slamming a folder onto the table top in front of him forced him to snap out of it as she noticed him staring and leaned into him, whispering. "Still not really sure what you see in her. But, let me give you a good reminder. Office romances are not a good thing. Rumors spread like wildfire, Mikaelson. We all already know you two are sleeping together." Katherine backed away, walking past him and towards Klaus as she smiled at him and asked sweetly. "How's the wife?"

"Good, she's on her way here. For some reason, Stefan asked her to be here as well today." Klaus replied, turning his head away from Katherine as he let out a small laugh and watched Caroline enter with a box of what looked like files in her arms, puffing her hair out of the way while smiling at all the men in the room. "So sorry that I'm late boys. Stefan here, asked me to find some old paperwork from the realty archives of hell. God, it took forever to find these!"

"Old paperwork? What the hell is going on?" Damon asked suspiciously as he stood up and tilted his head to the side. Stefan watched the door close behind Caroline as he finally clapped his hands together and inhaled sharply, waiting until they were all seated once again to speak. "I know that the five of you are wondering what the hell is going on at the moment and why you're all here on a late Thursday evening. Well, as you all know, I was in London a few weeks ago and while I was there, I met up with an old friend. Talking to her made me realize a few things…" Stefan's voice trailed off as he clicked a button on his laptop and a skype screen popped up on the projector behind him.

"Hello everyone!" Rebekah replied as Katherine looked up and then over at Caroline, leaning in towards her while she whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. "You've got to be fucking kidding me! Has he lost his mind? Surely marrying that Whitmore girl has made him go off the deep end! Now, he's involving the ex-wife from hell. Wow, he really had lost it!"

"Hello to you too, Katherine. Been a long time." Rebekah snarled back, hearing Klaus loudly tell them both to be a bit more civilized around one another.

"My wife has nothing to do with this! But, thanks for your unnecessary input, Katherine." Stefan replied, causing her face to grow red from embarrassment as Rebekah cleared her throat to explain why she was being phoned into the conference.

"Before you all get your panties in a bunch as to why I'm being skyped in. I met with Stefan over coffee a few weeks ago and he confided in me that he wants to become a business owner again. So, the reason you all are here and the reason that I'm here is because of that." She said, folding her arms across her chest as she smiled at everyone in room, smiling gleefully at her brothers.

"You what?" Damon questioned with a surprised tone in his voice.

"I want all of us to work together. I'm making arraignments for a new business venture. Damon, you'll be one of my main players." Stefan announced, leaving his brother a little confused and stunned as he had no idea of Stefan's plans. They hadn't been in touch that much over the weeks before Stefan had gone to London and since Stefan had married Aubrey, the brothers rarely seemed to see one another anymore because of how busy they both were. "Can I talk to you in private for a minute?" He asked, straightening out his suit as Damon stepped out, waiting for his brother to do the same.

"I thought you said you were done with all this bullshit, Stefan. Really, you want to go into another business venture?" He asked, feeling the anger rushing into the palms of his hands and towards his fingers as Stefan glanced down at the floor. "I can't just sit around not being my own boss. I miss it, Damon and this time it would be different. It wouldn't be dad pulling the strings for us. It would be you, me and the best in this business. Katherine and Klaus. We'd all be a team and with all of us, I really do think that this could work. We could really make this work, brother."

"You want my wife involved in this too?" Damon asked, running his hands through his hair as Stefan nodded. He didn't want Katherine in this new idea, to be successful. Stefan needed Katherine in this whole idea. Besides, considering their history and longtime friendship. She was the only one who seemed to calm him down and understand him even better than his own wife did at the moment.

"Without Katherine, this would fail. Damon, I promise you that this time it's going to be different. Rebekah won't be involved at all as this goes further. But, for the time being, she's going to train Katherine and Caroline on everything they need to know regarding all of our marketing and funding processes. That's the only reason I'm involving her. Once they know everything they need to know, she's gone. And, I'm going to promote Kol to being a broker, along with a few others that we know from our old Realty agency. They'll help you and I out when we're slammed with other projects. You and I will be the CEO's and Klaus will be our CFO, our right hand man, the chief financial advisor." Stefan explained, hoping to entice Damon into the idea some more of being their own bosses once again.

"Is dad going to be involved at all?" Damon asked, somewhat hoping that their father would have a say in this idea since he had been running their former business, SD Realty for over 30 years prior to the brothers taking it over.

"I'm going to talk to him tonight when I get home. After, I pitch the idea to my wife." Stefan said, watching Damon's face contour as he realized that Stefan had yet to even consult his new bride in any of this.

"She has no idea of your plans? She doesn't know you want to open up a cooperate real estate firm, where you're selling people on apartment buildings and lands, commercial buildings…..Wow, so much for being married." Damon stated, a bit surprised that his younger brother hadn't even mentioned the idea to Aubrey yet.

Stefan shook his head. "She would be totally against it, Damon. Her father and mother have a wealthy business already and he's asked me to come work for him. Well, when I refused and told him that I'd like to stay where I'm at because of this idea that was circulating around in my mind for weeks. He told my wife that I refused to provide for my family. So, now her father and I are at odds with one another because he thinks I'm a lazy ass because I didn't take his offer." Stefan exhaled deeply, hearing Damon clear his throat as he spoke again, more softly this time while he glanced down at the ground.

"You know, she wants to have a baby of our own and I told her that after what happened with Elena that I don't think I want any more kids…" Stefan confessed, causing Damon to place his hand onto Stefan's shoulder for a moment, both of them seeming to think of the same thing.

"Have you heard from her at all since you got married?" Damon asked Stefan whose muscles tensed at the thought of Elena.

He licked his bottom lip, shrugging his shoulders back as he admitted. "Rebekah's new husband owns a law firm in London where Elena works. She said that Elena seems to not handling things that well ever since she came back from the states and no, I haven't talked to her in a long time. Although, apparently my ex-wife and my ex fiancé have become friends with one another because of me." Stefan said.

"Damn." Damon mumbled, turning to head back into the conference room. Although, he paused for a moment as he realized why it was that Stefan wanted to get back into his work. "You miss her, Stefan. Don't you?"

Stefan swallowed the lump in his throat, placing his hands into his pockets while he glanced up at his brother, shrugging his shoulders. "Every single day. I miss her like you wouldn't believe, Damon. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about how different things would have been had I not married Aubrey and if I had married Elena instead. We could have been a real family, we could have been happy." He said, watching as Damon's hand rested on the doorknob as his older brother locked his darkened blue eyes onto him and said. "If being in real estate is what you want to do. Then, let's do it. I'll be with you every step of the way, all of us will. Although, if you're doing this in hopes of getting Elena back. I want you to know right now that, you shouldn't do it because of that. You need to do this for yourself."

"That's not why I want to do this, Damon. I did this job before Elena and now, I'm going to be doing it after her. It's not a ploy to bring her back into my life either. Before we parted ways, I told her that if she wanted to be a part of Ben's life- she was more than welcome to do that. Even though, her and I weren't together anymore, we'd keep in touch. So, no. This isn't because of her." Stefan replied, watching Damon enter back into the conference room that was filled with chatter as he followed shortly behind him.

"Everyone, we're in business. In a few short weeks, I'll be agreeing on a very nice office space in downtown Miami. In the packets that Katherine handed out, you'll all be reading up on your job requirements and roles. I want all of us in this together. So, this is just the start of many more meetings to come. Also, if you don't like what you've been assigned, we can take negotiations with that and your salaries." Stefan explained, looking towards the projector screen as Rebekah spoke softly.

"Stefan, aren't you going to tell them all what you'll be specializing in and what the real estate agency will be called?" She asked him as he laughed a little, embarrassingly remembering that he hadn't mentioned it when he had first walked in. "Right," Stefan paused, getting everyone's attention as he smiled over the small crowd. His most trusted friends and family as he stated. "We're going to be involved in commercial and investment real estate and the new company will be called Salvatore Realty Group which will be ran by your two new CEO's. Damon and myself."

"Aubrey! Ben!" Stefan shouted out, unlocking the door to their house and placing his keys onto the counter as he untied his tie and placed his suit jacket onto a chair near the dining table.

"Ben! Duke! Hello? Is anyone home?" Stefan shouted out, walking out to the living room as he noticed Aubrey sitting on the couch, her hands holding a piece of paper as her eyes fixated on it and she seemed to be in a trance.

"Hey." She commented quietly, looking up at Stefan with what looked like tears in her eyes, the sudden mood of happiness being sucked out of the room as Stefan gave her a perplexed look, asking where Ben and Duke were at. "I took them over to my mother's for a bit while I cleaned the house." She commented, placing the piece of paper down beside her as Stefan watched her get up and give him a tight hug, holding onto him a little tighter than usual. Stefan could feel that something was off as he looked behind her at the paper that was on the couch.

"Are those my new test results for the oncologist? They're totally fine, right?" He asked, tilting his head to the side as she seemed to avoid his question, running her hands through her hair nervously.

"Stefan, there's something I need to tell you." She said, hearing him continuing to talk as he looked around the living room, noticing that she had been organizing their family pictures.

"I thought that he said he was going to call me with them…" Stefan's voice trailed off as Aubrey glanced back at the paper and then towards her husband. "He did. He called the house while you were in London. He said that he wanted you to go in and see him again, though. Then, this came today while you were at work."

Stefan inhaled sharply, letting out a deep cough. "You're just telling me this now?" He asked her with a bit of an angered tone as she pointed back to the paper and then locked her eyes on to him.

"Stefan, I'm sorry. I got busy with Ben today and it just kind of slipped my mind." She stated, hearing him sigh out a breath. "Aubrey this is my life that we're talking about here. I've been cancer free for the last three years. You know how important this is to me. If something isn't right, if they found something and it came back. You need to tell me." He said, watching as she swallowed down the hurt she was feeling as she grabbed the paper off of the couch and handed it to him.

"Here, this is what it says. Don't you see why I didn't want to tell you right away?" She asked him, sighing out deeply as she crossed her arms over her chest, turning her back to him as he took it into his hands and began walking away from her.

Stefan read it carefully, feeling his whole body go numb as his eyes scanned over the words. He didn't look at her, he just took the piece of paper and tried to comprehend the words on it. While he brokenly said over his shoulder that he needed to be left alone. "I'd like it if you went to pick up my son and Duke from your mother's. I'll be in my office." He told her, walking into his office as he placed the piece of paper onto his desk. Stefan sat down in his chair, bending down to pour himself a glass of bourbon. He watched the liquid swirl around the thin china glass before he took a sip of it, allowing it to burn down his throat. Glancing over the piece of paper that burned a whole in his heart, he read it again, this time out loud.

"Dear Mr. Salvatore, we are writing you this letter to inform you of your current oncology test results from Dr. Pratt. Test results that were taken on June 19th showed a large mass on your right lung. After further testing and imaging. We would highly suggest that you call Dr. Pratt as soon as possible to go for a follow up appointment."

Stefan leaned over his desk, dialing a familiar number, one that he hadn't dialed in a long time. He exhaled deeply, holding his breath this time around as he heard her answer with a groggy tone in her voice, sleepy sounding almost. But, before she could answer, he spoke first. "I know that I told you that I'd only call you in regards to Ben. But, this is a little different and I need you to listen to me. I'm sorry that I've been out of touch. But, this has been really hard for me too. I'm calling you because I didn't know who else to call. I got some news today and.." His voice trailed off as he closed his eyes, feeling a tear trickle down his cheek.

Her voice softened as she spoke. "Stefan, what's wrong?" He heard her ask, the concern clearly evident in her voice.

"I know that I'm the last person you probably want to hear from right now and that you don't want to see me and that we agreed that things would be easier if we were apart from each other because of my wife, that we also kept minimal contact and just talk about Ben. But, I can't go through this without you, without talking to you about it all. He's going to ask me questions, he's going to eventually want to know why I can't be there for-." Stefan could feel the tears flowing down his cheeks heavily now as he spoke about his son. This was killing him inside, the reality of everything setting in as he allowed the tears to drip down onto the piece of paper.

"Stefan? You're scaring me. Please, tell me you're okay." She said with a panicked tone as he exhaled a deep breath and stated. "I'm not. Listen, I got my test results back from my oncologist today. The cancer's back and I don't know what to do. Elena, I'm really scared this time because it's not just a small skin cancer scare like before. This is bigger this time; this is a lot more serious. Listen to me, whatever happens. He can't lose me. Ben, I can't leave him. Elena, he needs to know that I love him more than anything and I can't leave him." Stefan sobbed, his whimpering cries filling Elena's ears as she leaned back into the pillows on her bed and closed her eyes. They might have been 4,397 miles away from one another by an airplane ride. However, Elena wished more than anything that in the moment she could be right beside him and that they would be okay. That, he'd be okay because she as much as she worried about Ben in the moment. She knew that she couldn't bear to lose him either.

A/N: Please feel free to leave me a review. Thanks for reading!


	11. Chapter Eleven

Remember Me- Chapter Eleven

"Your bags are packed." Aubrey noticed as Stefan closed the door behind him, not making eye contact while he looked past her and towards his son who also had a backpack on his back.

"What's going on, Stefan?" Aubrey asked him, crossing her arms and giving him a worry filled look. He sighed deeply, telling Ben to go wait in the car as he gave him the keys and closed the door behind his son. "Ben and I are going on a little adventure together for a few days. I'm taking him to meet with his mother."

Her eyebrows raised up at the admission of his words. There was no reason to lie to her about it because she would have found out eventually. Although, she really hadn't expected that Stefan or Elena would be seeing each other again at all.

"I thought you to-." She began to say as Stefan cut her off and turned back towards the door, making sure that Ben was inside of the car.

"It's not what you think. Elena has a brother that lives in Seattle and we've been in touch about Ben over the last few months. So, I told her that it would be nice to meet up there and for Ben to visit his uncle." He commented, hearing Aubrey scoff as she pushed a few strands of her hair back and shook her head. "You've got so much work to do and you're just going to drop it all because she's back in town for a few days?"

Stefan shrugged his shoulders, licking his bottom lip nervously as he nodded. "I know that I have a lot of work to do and that it's just as important as anything else. But, Aubrey. I need this. I need to get out of Florida and away from-." She cut him off, anger sweeping across her features as she tilted her head to the side and finished his sentence for him. "Away from me. You need to get away from me." She commented, placing her hand onto his suitcase as she looked him over and noticed how pale he was. Over the last two weeks since he had found out about his diagnosis, Stefan had been feeling and looking fairly ill. However, he had ignored it and threw himself into his work instead. Telling everyone that he was fine as he struggled to keep up with Ben at the local park while they chased Duke around a playground.

"My son can't see me as being sick, Aubrey. You need to understand that I'm not just doing this for him. I'm doing this for me too. I promise you that Elena and I are just meeting up as friends to talk about what's going to happen to Ben once things get progressively worse for me." He told her, trying to make her understand that even though things haven't been easy on their marriage lately. That he wasn't going to do anything stupid with Elena.

"How long will you both be gone?" She asked him, nervousness in her voice as she tapped her fingers against the handle of his suitcase before handing it to him while he opened the front door to their house.

"Just for a few days." Stefan replied back, telling her that they'd be seeing her soon and to call him if she needed anything. He didn't kiss her as he left the house. He could hear her tell him that she loved him and he did say it back. But, something within these last few days had been growing between them. This distance and unpleasant tension that seemed to be getting worse and Stefan figured that maybe a few days away from it all could solve their problems.

"Uncle Stefan!" Izzie smiled, opening the door a bit wider for him as Stefan grabbed Ben's hand.

"Hey, Isobel." He smirked, getting a smack on the shoulder from his niece as she rolled her eyes at him and turned her attention to her cousin, Ben. "No one calls me Isobel, uncle Stefan. No one except for my dad when he gets mad at me."

"Hey kid. So, I guess your dad is dropping you off to stay with us for a few days. How's that sound?" She asked him as Ben shrugged his shoulders, both Stefan and Ben stopped when they heard another voice from inside of the living room that was coming around the corner. "He doesn't sound as excited as I thought he would be." Katherine commented, smiling at them both as she gave Stefan a hug and whispered into his ear. "Does your wife know about how much you're lying to her?"

Stefan took a step back, clearing his throat and handing Izzie Ben's sleepover bags. "I'll go get Ella and we can build a fort or something." Izzie commented, running up the stairs as she shouted for Ben to join her. Once they were left alone, Katherine dug into him.

"What in the hell is going on here?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she angrily looked at Stefan. He looked a little pale and tired. However, for the most part, he seemed like his old self.

"I'm taking a few days off." He commented simply, not giving Katherine the answer she wanted as she leaned forward and hissed out her words. "You promised me that you'd stay away from Elena Gilbert, Stefan Salvatore! You-." He cut her off, leaning forward and shaking his head. Katherine watched as Stefan placed his hand on to her shoulder, trying to calm her down. "Just because Elena and I are friends now and have a long history. It doesn't mean anything to me. It doesn't change the fact that I'm married now." He replied, wiggling his left hand in her face as she scoffed at his words.

"To hell with your marriage and your wedding band. Let's be honest, Stefan. Elena was the only one who never once loved you just because of your money! She was the love of your life and just because neither of you could be together because it hurt too much. You married Aubrey. Who, I know that you love. But, you'll never love her as much as you still love Elena. So," Katherine backed away from him, looking up the stairs to make sure that none of the children were in ear shot. "To hell with being married to a woman who you love. But, only half-heartedly when you and I both know where your heart really is at and with whom."

"Kat-." He watched her shake her head, glancing down at her hand too as she pointed to her own wedding ring. "I've been married longer than I was single. You know, there was another man who wanted me as much as your brother did. But, he was the one I wanted because I never once doubted that he loved me and that I loved him more than the other guy. Stefan, stop lying to yourself and saying that you aren't still in love with Elena. Because, I can see it in your eyes. You still are. That's why you're going to Seattle, isn't it?"

He swallowed the lump in his throat, not making eye contact with her as he realized something. Katherine nor Damon knew about his newest diagnosis. Stefan exhaled deeply, telling himself that this wasn't the way he wanted to tell his brother or his sister in law. However, he needed them to know exactly what was going on with him.

"It's not just because of that. Katherine, Seattle has a very world renowned cancer center…" His voice trailed off as her eyes grew big and she gave him a perplexed look. "Cancer center?" She questioned, putting the pieces quickly together as she covered her mouth and exhaled out a shaky breath.

"Stefan. Are you sure?" She asked as he nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, it's back. But, this time it's in my lungs. Katherine-." She closed her eyes, feeling the tears begin to cloud them as she pulled him close to her, giving him the biggest hug she had in a long time. They stood in the living room, her embracing him as he felt himself relax into her embrace and slowly break down.

"I can't lose him, Katherine. We know what would happen to him if I died. So, I need to go to Seattle to see if the specialists there can help me, find a way to beat this. But, I also need to see Elena." Stefan choked back tears as he rested his head upon her shoulder and softly whispered out. "I need her, Katherine. I need her more than anyone else right now and I know it's wrong because I'm married. But, she's the only person that knows me for who I really am. She's the only one that can break down all these walls I've created and I need that right now."

"Okay. It's okay, I understand." She replied, letting him go as he took a step back and wiped away his tears. Stefan sighed out a breath as he looked around the room and then back to her. "Don't tell Damon about this until I get back. Look, if he asks where I'm at. Please, just tell him that I went to go find out some information regarding our new business venture." Stefan warned her sternly as he heard Katherine promise that she wouldn't.

Katherine backed away from her brother in law, watching him turn his back towards her as he told her that he needed to get going before he missed his flight out of town. She paused for a moment, unsure of what exactly to ask. Hesitantly Katherine spoke up. "How bad is it this time?"

Sniffling as he turned around, Stefan swallowed the lump in his throat while he helplessly shrugged his shoulders as he replied simply. "My doctor told me that if I don't start radiation and chemotherapy soon that it could spread even quicker. It's at a stage 2A lung cancer and according to my doctor. There is about a 30 % survival rate." He watched as she fidgeted nervously from side to side before she locked her eyes on to him and said with a sweet and reassuring tone. "I'm sure that you'll beat this, Stefan. You have to."

"I know." Was all he said as she watched him turn back towards the door, throwing her a knowing glance over his shoulder while Katherine said that she'd make sure that Ben was well taken care of over the next few days that he'd be away.

"I didn't think you'd actually show up." Elena commented, looking out at the vast body of water in front of her and admiring the scenic view of the city skylines and the space needle. She had mentioned that she'd be in town and be here, running some errands. Although, she didn't think that he'd actually find her.

"I remember when we were living in Portland together and you said that Hamilton Viewpoint in Seattle was one of your favorite places to come to and sit down at when you needed some time to yourself. So, I looked it up and when you didn't reply back to my text, I took a shot in the dark and decided to drive out here." He told her, calling up her brother along the way and asking where his sister might have gone. "Jeremy also helped a little bit too." Stefan replied, taking a seat beside Elena on one of the many benches as she peeled her eyes away from the view and looked at him.

"Stefan," She began to say as he took her hand into his own, not saying a word. Elena felt him rub his thumb up and down the top of her hand as he gently rotated it and placed his palm against hers, intertwining their fingers. She was silent for a long time, eventually leaning her head against his shoulder.

"I don't know what to say to you." Elena began, struggling for the right words because she knew that she couldn't talk about him dying or the fact that he started his chemotherapy and radiation treatments early in the morning the next day and that was one of the reasons why he wanted to see her first out of anyone else while he was in town.

"You know. Damon doesn't even know that I'm sick, I couldn't tell him yet. Katherine knows, Aubrey knows and now you do too." Elena heard him draw a sharp inhale of breath as he sat with her, still holding her hand. Stefan was quieter than normal, reflecting on the last few years of his life as he kept her close. "Elena, you're the only one who has ever known me. My own wife doesn't even know me like you do. So, I guess that's why I sought you out when I came here. I just-." The warm touch of Elena's hand upon his cheek made his words stop as he turned to look at her. She had tears in her eyes too, they were welling up in the corners and when she closed her eyelids, they began sliding down her rosy colored cheeks. "I know that you love her, Stefan. I know that you're a married man and I respect that. I respect your commitment to her. But, I can't help the way I still feel about you. I still miss you so much." She said, swallowing the lump that was forming in her throat because it was making her choke back all the other unspoken words she wanted to say to him. Like, how heartbroken she was that he was sick, how much it hurt her to see him with Aubrey the evening of his wedding. How more than anything in this world, she wanted them to be a family again.

"I screwed up things with you and Ben. I let you both go and I'm going to regret that for the rest of my life. I was just in a bad place back then. I'm a lot better now, I have things under control. But, as hard as this is to admit to myself and to you. You need to know that I still love you, Stefan." She felt his hand on her cheek, caressing her warm skin as she closed her eyes and allowed the tears to fall. Leaning into him, Elena felt Stefan's other arm wrap around her while he kissed the top of her head, pulling her into his chest. It wasn't that long ago that Stefan told Elena that he never wanted to see her again and that being away from one other was the best thing for them both. However, watching her now broke his heart and he knew that seeing her here, was the best thing for them. Because he needed to get a few things off of his chest.

"I don't want to die, Elena. I've got so much to live for and so many things that I still want to accomplish. I'm 32 years old and I still have so much life left in me." He said in a sorrowful tone, gripping on to her hand as she squeezed his back and turned to face him. Tears were streaming down her face as Elena reached up and touched Stefan's damp cheeks, her eyes locking on to his as she spoke in a shaky tone. "You're not going to die. Okay? You're going to live. You're going to build an amazing business again, grow old and you'll watch Ben graduate, get married and you'll hold your grandson or granddaughter for the first time. You're going to make a lifetime of memories, Stefan. With everyone that you love. Including," She paused, stroking her thumb against his stubble covered cheek as she took a deep breath and concluded with. "Listen to me, I'm going to help you fight this. We're going to do this together and with my help, you're going to beat this disease. I promise." She vowed, leaning into him and kissing his lips softly as she backed away suddenly, letting go of his hands while she realized how close they'd just gotten in such an intimate way.

"I won't do that again, I promise." Elena stated, walking over to the railing near the park that overlooked the water. Elena watched the waves crash against the concrete barrier as she felt his hand resting on the small of her back. Stefan gently rubbed her back up and down as he stood beside her, finally once again taking her hand into his, Stefan kissed the top of Elena's hand and said with a soft tone. "The truth is that I need to stop lying to myself. I married the wrong girl. You know, it should have been you. Not her. It should have been the two of us, together forever. Because, I still love you too, Elena. I never stopped loving you and I don't think I ever will."

A/N: Please feel free to leave me a review. Until Next Time! :)


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Hey all! So, this chapter is very Stefan and Elena heavy. I'll be getting back to the other characters in the next chapter. Hope you all like this chapter.

Thanks for reading!

Remember Me- Chapter Twelve

"Does anyone know that I'm here?" Elena asked, closing the door behind her as Stefan shook his head. He didn't feel right staying with Jeremy and Elena at his apartment. So, he had planned ahead and gotten himself a penthouse suite on the 73rd floor of a high rise building in downtown Seattle. Asking for Elena to join him for the day, seeming like it was the right thing to do since he wanted to spend time with her.

"Just me." He commented, watching as Elena took in the beauty of the view from his suite, shrugging off her jacket as she walked around the place, in awe of it.

"You decided to stay in here for the next few days. How much does this place even cost for a night, renting wise?" She questioned, glancing around the sprawling 2,000 square foot property as she looked to her left, she could see the Space Needle.

Stefan pushed himself up from the cream colored sofa he was sitting on, walking over to her slowly as he finally stood beside her, admiring the view and stealing glances of her facial expressions as he tried to explain. "Well, for starters. I wouldn't know that." He replied, making a popping noise with his tongue as they stood there, watching the sun going down, his hands were in his pockets as he tried to keep himself and his emotions in check around her.

"Why not?" She asked, curious as to find out why he'd want to spend so much on a place in which he was only going to be spending only a few nights in. Stefan cleared his throat, turning to her fully as he smiled and stated with a serious tone. "Because, I bought this penthouse for a little less than a million dollars late last night. And, it came totally furnished, which was a nice bonus."

Elena's face dropped, her eyebrows rose as she turned towards him as if he was losing his mind. "Excuse me?" She asked, watching him as he moved across the living room, the tile floors causing his shoes to squeak a little as she watched his left hand glide across the grand piano he had inadvertently inherited with the property that he was now the owner of. "Since my treatments are going to be starting in about a week or so and I'll be practically living here for a little while. I'll be too sick to travel back to Florida on some days, I'm sure of it. I figured that it would be best to settle down here for a bit."

Elena blinked at him, glancing down at her cream colored flats as she tried to understand his reasoning. "But, why Seattle? Aside from the treatments..." Her voice trailed off as Stefan shrugged his shoulders as he looked up past her while he spoke. She could tell that he was nervous to talk about his future suddenly.

"Because, I guess I wanted our son to have someplace to go that was close to your family too. Didn't your aunt move up here a few months ago to be closer to your brother and your parents? And, from what I heard from your brother the other day, you hate London. You've been looking at places here." He said as Elena stood there speechless. How did he even know that? Elena hadn't spoken about Aunt Jenna in a few years when she spoke with Stefan and she hadn't said anything about her apartment search in Seattle at all.

"You've been keeping tabs on me?" She questioned, crossing her arms over her chest as Stefan took a seat on the couch and Elena followed his movements, she turned towards him, wanting answers to his secrecy.

"Not exactly." He stated, turning to his right side as he took a piece of paper off of the small table beside him. Elena watched while he unfolded it and handed it to her. Elena's eyes scanned the document, her words escaping her when she finally read the last piece of paper. Stefan leaned back into his seat, trying to explain.

"I heard that she was moving up here from Katherine and Damon. Well, since I tried so hard to ruin her life just a few years earlier. When I heard she was moving up here to train dogs and open up the boarding house for animals that were mistreated and abused because she wanted to give them their own safe haven. I knew that I needed to help out in the only way I knew how..." His voice trailed off as Elena leaned forward, searching his eyes as she quietly asked. "Stefan, what did you do?"

He swallowed down his fears in telling her as he ran one of his hands through his hair before he found the right words. Silence filled the room for a while before Stefan finally spoke. "I contributed some of my earnings from SD Realty and some of my inherited money from my father to your aunt in helping build her new business on a very nice piece of property that is about two hours outside of this big city. I made a very nice donation in my name and told her that if she needed anything that I'd stay in touch. I also mentioned that you'd be in town and that you'd love to see her. She was the one who said that you hated London and were looking to be transferred back to the states."

Elena sat in front of him, totally dumbfounded and speechless. There really wasn't much to say. Hell, she couldn't even believe what she was hearing as he turned away from her and leaned back into the couch cushions. Stefan glanced down at his hands, feeling nervous around her all of a sudden. "You know; it's been a while since you've seen her. I mean, the last time was before we split up." Elena watched Stefan's face fall at little at his words. He was right, she hadn't really been in contact with Jenna since she left everyone behind for London. There were phone calls here and there. But, they weren't very frequent and Jenna just barely had much time anyways since she was so busy trying to rebuild a business that had been practically ripped right from underneath her years before.

"She knows that we're not together anymore." Elena commented, allowing the acidic tone of her words to burn down her throat as she turned to face him.

Stefan was quiet for a while, staring down at the couch cushion, noticing that one of the small fibers had been snagged and was now popping out. He placed his hand down on to the cushions, running his finger over the fabric. "Elena," He began to say, swallowing down hard as he tried to think about what he wanted to say to her. There was so much to say and yet, neither of them were saying anything that important. It was almost as if they were dancing around the subject. He knew he had to say something as she glanced up at him, her eyes filled with wonder and intrigue.

"I know." Elena said, leaning forward as she slowly placed her right hand onto his face, caressing his cheek. Her smile faded when she suddenly felt sorrow and sadness. It was breaking her heart knowing that she was here with him only under the worst circumstances. "We can talk about that later." She said softly, suddenly getting up from the couch as she wiped her sweaty hands off of her dark jeans that she was wearing. Stefan watched with a careful eye while Elena leaned against the counter in the kitchen, her arms crossed over her chest. He gave her a few minutes, noticing that she was admiring a picture of Ben and Stefan that was on the fridge, the little boy had placed his little hands onto his father's cheeks, smiling gleefully as Stefan leaned towards his son for a kiss. It made her choke up as she took a step forward, running her finger over the image. Elena jumped a little when she suddenly heard Stefan's voice coming up from behind her, his eyes glazed over with tears while he spoke.

"I'm not going to be able to say goodbye to him. And, I can't say goodbye to you either. I don't want you to watch me die here." He said, glancing at the picture and then Elena who was now standing just a few feet away from him as she uncrossed her arms. They stood just inches away from one another as Stefan extended out his hand, watching her take it. She intertwined their fingers together just as she had done so many times before while she spoke softly. "You're going to get through this. You're not going to have to say goodbye to him, Stefan. You never will and neither of us are going to watch you die. Because, you're going to be okay." She stated, squeezing his hand for reassurance as he pulled her into him, embracing her tightly while he buried his face into her hair, like he had done years ago when they were together. Elena didn't know what to say as she slowly wrapped her arms around him, tightly holding him against her while he allowed himself to cry.

Stefan pulled away first, caressing Elena's cheeks as she glanced up at him, her eyes were filled with unshed tears too. The topic of his death was heart wrenching and she didn't want to talk about it anymore. She just wanted to be in the moment with him. Her dark brown eyes never left him as Stefan pushed her hair back, his fingertips caressing her neck. Elena closed her eyes, breathing deeply as she felt his lips against her skin, kissing the warm flesh softly as he felt her pulse quicken under his mouth. He kissed her cheek, then her lips. A sweet tender kiss that made her body ache for him.

"Stefan," She stammered out his name, causing him to pull back as he locked his eyes on to her.

"You're married." She reminded him. The tension came to a standstill as Elena watched him take a step back, keeping his composure. He shook his head, trying to clear it from all of the consuming thoughts of Elena in front of his eyes. Yes, she was right. He was married and he loved Aubrey. However, it had never been the kind of love that he had towards Elena. The feelings he had for her were a lot more intense and deeply rooted within him. Stefan stood in the kitchen, watching as Elena walked over to the living room, taking her purse into her hands and searching for her jacket. "I think that I should go," She began to say. Part of her knew that if she stayed that things would become intense and get even more heated between them than they were now. Even though a small part of her wanted to be with him, knowing that Stefan was 'happily married' made it all feel completely wrong. She took a few steps towards the door, her head telling her to leave as her heart pulled her in another direction, begging her to stay.

Elena headed towards the door, causing Stefan to cut her off. His eyes were searching hers as he took her hand and heard her purse drop to the ground, she was trembling when he placed his hand onto her cheek again, staring deeply and affectionately into her eyes. "Please, don't leave. I want you to stay. Because, I still love you. And, I know that I'm married to her. But, my heart isn't in it, Elena. It should have been you. It should have always been you. I'm sorry, but I can't fight this anymore. Being so close to you and so far, away at the same time is killing me." He told her, leaning forward and capturing her warm lips against his own. Elena felt her body being pushed up against one of the walls in the hallway as her fingertips and hands slide underneath Stefan's white t-shirt, his skin tightening at her touch while his lips kissed her neck, working their way up to her awaiting and eager mouth. The kiss was passionate, causing a moan to escape past Stefan's mouth as he pressed Elena into the wall, lifting her arms above her head while feeling them slide down to his neck, wrapping around him. Elena's eyes fluttered open, leveling with his desire filled gaze. He kissed her once more, an open mouthed kiss that left his body filled with longing for more of her.

"We shouldn't do this." Elena warned, feeling the butterflies within her stomach as he shook his head, swallowing down his fears while he lowered himself down on to his knees. Elena leaned her head back, feeling Stefan's calloused fingers brush against her soft flesh, caressing her stomach. His lips were on her skin, kissing his way up the middle of her chest as he slid her shirt gently over her head. He smiled at her, as it fell to the ground and she locked her eyes on to his, attempting to try and reason with him. "Stefan," She began to say, looking him directly in his eyes as he kissed her before she could finish her sentence.

Stefan took Elena's hand into his, leading her down the hallway and into his bedroom. Elena tightened the grip on his hand. "Stefan, if we do this. There is no going back, she's going to find out...Eventually..." Elena's voice trailed off as he let go of her hand. Stefan stood in front of her, searching her eyes while he placed his hand onto her cheek, caressing it with his thumb as he spoke reassuringly and softly. "It doesn't matter anymore, Elena. I don't want to go back. I can't keep lying to myself anymore. Because, I want you. Here. Now. I just want you." He told her, leaning forward and kissing her gingerly at first before the kiss intensified and Elena felt his arms wrap protectively around her just as her knees hit the back of the mattress, pulling Stefan down with her. She giggled, smiling up at him with a loving glance.

"I don't want to go back either." She stated confidently, touching his face gently before their lips met again and she sweetly kissed him, her fingers slipping into his short and gelled hair as she heard Stefan groan. His hand was gently resting down on her lower back while he pulled her closer. Elena could feel his hand slide down her spine as he moved some of her hair out of the way. He kissed her collar bone, sucking and nipping down at the skin while she leaned her head back, allowing him more access to as much skin he could get his hands on. Her mind raced with silly thoughts. It had been six years since they had been intimate with each other. She wondered if he noticed the changes of her body. Because, she sure as hell noticed the changes in his. He was stronger, a lot leaner and as she ran her hand over his biceps, her whole body shivered at the thought of the last time that they had been this close, years earlier.

Stefan carefully discarded her bra and tossed it onto the floor as Elena's hands slide down his chest, her fingertips unbuttoning his jeans as she slid her hand down to his zipper. Stefan kicked his jeans off, hearing them hit the ground as he returned his attention back to Elena, his lips moving quick and slow, his tongue tasting her skin as he inhaled her scent. Damn it, he had missed her way more than he was willing to admit. She felt different and yet, she was still the same girl that he had fallen for just years before. Elena felt familiar. "I've missed you." She laughed, feeling his lips move down to neck as he massaged her breast with one hand and she closed her eyes, arching her body forward at the same time that Stefan teased her right nipple and then her left with his moist tongue.

His head lifted up from her body, kissing the middle of her chest as he rested his chin in between her perky breasts while glance up at her lovingly. "Remember when we would have sex in my office?" He joked, hearing her breathing heavily until it even out a bit. Elena murmured out in a soft tone. "Mhmm, why?"

In between kisses and caresses, Stefan's mouth stopped at the hem of her black lace panties. His teeth grazing against her skin made Elena shiver. Her heart was pounding quickly and she could feel her pulse starting to speed up in her ears, the thumping noise was nearly unbearable. "I just think you used to look so sexy, the way you'd bite you lip as I did this...." His voice trailed off, Stefan caressed her legs as his hand moved to lower her underwear. Elena arched her back forward and smirked, hearing herself nearly gasp out a moan as Stefan's fingertips gently massaged her clit. Elena inhaled deeply, biting her tongue while holding her breath. "Stefan..." She groaned out again, a warning under her breath as she closed her eyes and lowered herself down to the mattress. Elena could feel her underwear begin to slide down her knees, until they too were somewhere on the floor. Her breathing picked up as her body felt like it was on fire and she gave in, completely. To him, to everything he was doing to her that was driving her crazy.

They lay in the dark, his hand caressing her spine, his fingertips tracing the scar on her shoulder as he ran his fingers up and down her back. Leaning in, Elena heard him inhale deeply as he left a kiss on her skin. They were both quiet for a long time as Elena closed her eyes, feeling fairly guilty that she had just slept with a married man. "Stefan...I should go." She said, trying to convince herself that it was for the best. Although, his tired voice and firm grip made her stop as he pulled her closer towards him, kissing her cheek.

"I know that you should. But, I don't want you to leave. Elena, we got caught up in the moment..." He said out loud, knowing how stupid he sounded as he tried to justify his actions.

"You're married." She pointed out, the words tasting bitter in her mouth when she said them out loud.

"The guilt just isn't setting in for you yet. The minute you see Aubrey in a few days-." He cut her off, sighing out a breath as he explained. "Aubrey and I are on a break."

Elena gave him a perplexed look, rolling her eyes and suddenly getting up from the bed. She was fumbling in the dark for her clothes. "I am a stupid woman! I shouldn't be here and it doesn't matter that you're on a break with your wife. Stefan, you're still married. You know what this makes me look like? A cheater! I am a fucking cheater. You are fucking married and I am a fuckin-." It was sudden, his lips against hers in the dark as they stumbled back into the bed, Elena's body falling into the sheets again and against the mattress effortlessly. She didn't fight him as Stefan kissed her breathlessly, his hands cupping her face as she caught a glimpse of his silhouette in the dark and he admitted something that he had been bottling up within him. Stefan hovered over her, their legs mangled together as he smiled down at her sweetly before he spoke. "The doctor said that if I'm lucky, I've got five more years to live. Aubrey and I are on a break and to be honest, these last few hours with you. They've made me feel more alive than I have in years with her. I have missed you more than you ever know. When I told you that I still loved you, Elena. I meant it. I meant every single word. I love you, Elena. I love you." He told her, leaning down and kissing her lips as she placed her warm hands against his cheek, feeling his tears trickling down his face. Elena leaned forward, speechless as to what to say to him. Instead, she kissed him, their lips breaking apart just as she whispered in the dark, "No matter what happens, I love you too."

Rolling them over, the sheets mangled in between them, while Stefan pushed the sheets away, caressing Elena's face while smiling down at her. "You're still as beautiful as the day you were when I first met you." He said, kissing her collar bone as he worked his lips down between her chest while she ran her fingers through his hair. Her mind reeling with their new reality. Elena felt Stefan lowering his body against hers, leaving a kiss and a caress as he went along. Every touch was delicate, every kiss was warm and gentle. He wasn't like he had been years ago, aggressive and needy. His hands moved down to her hips, pulling her down underneath him suddenly made Elena gasp as her curious eyes met his and he tilted his head to the side, his right hand touching her right thigh. "What are we going to do now?" She asked him, knowing that there wasn't any going back from the emotions and feelings that had reawaken within her and within himself.

Stefan was quiet for a long time, his lips kissing her stomach as he readjusted himself while Elena wrapped her legs around his pelvis, her heels digging into his back. He bit his lip nervously, searching her eyes as she noticed something familiar within his green gaze. A filthy hunger filled with desire. Stefan leaned down, brushing her hair away from her shoulder as he bent his head down too, kissing her there before he locked his eyes on to her again and in a seductive tone he spoke. "I'm going to make love to you. So passionately, so delicately. We're going to do it over again and again, until dawn. And, when we're done. You'll fall asleep in my arms and I'll tell you how much I love you. Because when I'm gone, I never want you to forget how much you were always loved by me, Elena. I never want you to forget us."

A/N: Please feel free to leave me a review or chat with me on twitter about the story at BePassionate_24

Until Next Time!


	13. Chapter 13

Remember Me- Chapter Thirteen

Closing the door, Damon exhaled deeply while leaning against it. Today had been one of the toughest days of his life and trying to get everything in order without his brother was proving to be even more difficult. "Uncle Damon!" He heard from the other side of the door, Ben must have woken up just as he had shut it and now, the little boy was clearly calling out to him.

"Yeah, buddy?" He asked, opening the door back up and smiling at his nephew as he watched him lean himself back into the pillows behind him, the light from the hallway casting a shadow upon his face while he spoke. "My daddy is really sick, uncle Damon. He's really sick and he went to Seattle to get some medicine."

"What?" Damon questioned, giving Ben a perplexed look because all Damon had known thus far was that Stefan had gone to Seattle for business. At least, that was what his own brother had told him when he had dropped Ben off.

"My momma's mad at him because he left and that's why I'm here. Daddy told me to be a good boy while he was gone." Ben added in, suddenly burying his face under the covers as Damon exhaled deeply and tried to comfort him. "Ben, do you know why your daddy is sick?" He questioned, hearing the little boy sniffling under the covers as Damon moved them away to show his face and then saw it, the heartbroken look of sheer fear on his nephew.

"I don't know." He replied. Damon got up from the edge of the bed, telling Ben to move over as he sat next to him and pulled him closer, covering his legs up from the cold as he felt Ben resting his head against Damon's shoulder.

"What's wrong kid?" He asked him quietly, noticing that Ben was crying and that his cheeks were wet.

"I don't want my daddy to die. I'm scared he's gonna die." Ben replied, looking at his uncle with tears in his eyes as Damon wiped them away and kissed the top of his head. He wasn't really sure what was going on and he was pissed off that no one had told him the real reason for Stefan seeming to be so on top of things and all over the place at the same time. But, Damon quickly reminded himself that now wasn't the time to sort things out. "He's not going to die, Ben. I promise, your daddy is going to be just fine." Damon commented, kissing his nephew's cheek before he slid out of his bed and told Ben to get some sleep. "Wake me up if you need me, buddy." Damon reminded him before he closed the door and walked into his office where Katherine was doing some organizing over their business files.

She glanced up at her husband briefly, hearing the door close behind him. Katherine didn't flinch as Damon cleared his throat and tapped on the desk with his finger. He waited for her to look up at him and when she didn't, he spoke. "You're going to explain something right now." He said as she finally locked her eyes on to him. He looked angry as he crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side. Damon fidgeted a bit before he finally dug into her. "How the fuck did you know about Stefan being sick before I did?"

He watched his wife drop the light green colored folder on to the desk as she placed her hands flatly on to it, looking at their family photo from a few years ago. It was new years and it was when Elena was still in the picture. All of the adult's had gotten together and went to New York where they spent the night at one of Lexi's houses. The picture had been taken in Lexi's living room and everyone looked so happy back then. Stefan had his arms wrapped around Elena tightly as she kissed his cheek. "Look at me, Katherine. Look at me and fucking explain to me! What the hell is going on!" Damon demanded as she snapped out of her memories and with watery eyes, she got up from behind the desk. Damon's voice was hoarse as he shook his head. "He can't be sick again, Katherine. Please, tell me it isn't true. Because, I have a little boy in that room over there. Praying that his dad isn't sick and that he's not going to go away." She heard him say. Katherine's eyes were glazed over with tears as she said nothing. Damon felt her arms wrap around him, the feeling of her body against his caused him to lean into her deeper.

"Please tell me that he isn't dying, Katherine." Damon begged, his voice pleading as he felt his wife run her hands over the back of his neck before she finally softly said. "I wish I could, Damon. I really wish that I could. He told me not to tell you or anyone yet. But," She paused, knowing that the next few words were going to shatter his heart.

"Stefan's got about five more years or less left. The cancer is in his lungs and growing rapidly from what he told me. He's in Seattle because he's going to be starting radiation and chemotherapy treatment." She explained, swallowing the lump in her throat as she finally backed away from her husband and noticed the tears in his eyes. Damon was furious. He was more pissed off at himself for not encouraging Stefan to take care of himself more.

"I should have been on him more about taking care of himself. Not just for himself. But, for that little boy..." Damon's voice trailed off as he choked back sobs when he stated. "Babe, he's already lost his mother. He can't lose Stefan too. Damn it! He can't lose my brother. I can't lose him, Katherine. I can't lose Stefan." Clinging to his wife, Damon and Katherine said nothing as they stood in the middle of his office, crying together. His heart breaking as he thought about how he was going to tell everyone else that they knew. It wasn't going to be easy, but he knew that someone had to tell them all.

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"Wake up." Elena whispered against his ear, kissing his cheeks on each side of his face as Stefan groaned, placing his hands against her hips and gently caressing her skin. Elena giggled, lowered her body against his as she left a kiss on his chest. One by one, she lowered her lips towards his pelvis. But, Stefan's hands slipping into her hair caused her to stop as she flung the sheets over her head, grinning at him while she straddled his body.

"I'm awake, woman. What do you want?" He teased, biting his bottom lip as he leaned his head back, closing his eyes.

"Do we really need to answer what I want?" Elena asked, her smile fading quickly, as Stefan tossed a pillow over his head and spoke into it. Elena could barely make out any of his words until he moved it a little away from his face as he said. "I am exhausted, Elena."

"I'll make you something to eat then." She said sweetly, crawling off of him as Stefan felt the light gray colored bed sheet covering his body being slipped off of himself. "Since when do you cook?" He asked jokingly as he covered himself up with a blanket and she turned around, glaring at him.

"Well, I learned a few things. In London, from Klaus." Elena commented as Stefan nearly doubled over in laughter, covering his face with his hands because he couldn't believe it. "Klaus knows how to cook?" He asked, still laughing.

Elena rolled her eyes, placing one of her hands onto her hip as she tilted her head to the side. "Do you want me to make you food or not? Because, you know. I just could just easily let you lay there and starve. I mean, I am the one who made you exhausted. So, consider it a fair trade." She said teasingly with a seductive tone, watching as Stefan collapsed back on to the bed, staring up at the ceiling. "Pancakes?" He questioned as Elena chuckled, throwing one of his t-shirts over her bare skin before she sauntered out of his bedroom and into the kitchen. She stopped briefly near the door, "I'd eat anything with you." She said before hearing him loudly exhale as he shouted out. "And, I could lay in this bed thinking about your sexy ass and those legs underneath my shirt all day long. Damn, I was a stupid man to let someone so beautiful like you get away. I'm going to regret that forever."

"I heard that!" Elena yelled back, laughing as she stood near the refrigerator, glancing up at a picture that she hadn't noticed before on his fridge because it was covered up by everything. Elena took it off from the magnet and examined it in her hands. It had been from years earlier, when she and Stefan had finally decided to give their relationship a try.

"Reminiscing?" He asked, noticing that she was deep in thought because she jumped back a little when his hand rested against the middle of her back and she heard his voice. "I thought you were laying down in bed." She commented, feeling Stefan's fingertips linger against his gray colored t-shirt.

"Well, I was. But, the idea of you in this shirt made me really hungry." He joked, kissing her cheek as she put the picture back into place and took his hand into hers. Stefan stood there speechless as Elena placed his hand onto her heart while she covered her own on top of his and spoke in a shaky tone. "I have held you in my heart for the last six years of my life. Remembering all the stupid things I had done to hurt you and push you away from me. Which, I regret every single one of them...." Her voice cracked as Stefan gave her a somber glance and kept his hand underneath hers as she continued. "But, I have never once stopped loving you. Stefan Salvatore, you changed my life. You made me a better person and you made me realize so many things about myself that I didn't even realize at the time we were dating. Even more so when we were apart for so long. I love you with this broken heart of mine and I will always love with it. You're the best thing that ever happened to me." Stefan nodded as Elena shook her head, trying to fight off the tears as she leaned into him and pulled him closer, whispering into his ear. "I can't lose you to this. Stefan, it has always been you that I've wanted to raise Ben with. And, I still want it to be you. Every day and every night. I want you. You and no one else." She told him, feeling his arms wrap around her as he pulled back to cup her face into his hands and wipe away her falling tears.

"Elena," He began to say, trying to make her remember the big picture. He was still married to Aubrey and now, he was dying. The last thing Stefan wanted was to give her false hope for their future together. Because, most likely, it wasn't going to happen.

"I know that last night stirred up some old feelings for you. Because, they did for me too. But, you know what I'm going through right now and-." Her breaking voice cut him off as she grabbed a hold of his hands and locked her eyes on to him. "I know. I can't deny that it didn't do anything to me. Because being with you or having you close to me always does. And, I know that you're going through a lot right now with her and with this diagnosis. So," She paused, licking her bottom lip as her eyes met his and she said. "Maybe while we're both here together, we can just pretend. Just for a little while it can be just the two of us again. Stefan and Elena. No one else, how it used to be in Florida. Then, after your treatments. We go back to how things are now. You go back to her and I go back to....my life in London."

Stefan took a step back, popping his lips together as he turned away from her and ran his fingers through his hair as he saw her leaning against the kitchen counter. He thought about it for a while as the silence between them grew, he finally spoke. "And, how are they now, Elena? Everything is so fucked up! I'm married and I'm sick. And, seeing you again after we said we'd keep our distance is fucking me up! Seeing you in my fucking clothes, laying in my damn bed and holding you in my arms. Like nothing's changed! Making love to you. God, it makes me....It..." Stefan stammered out his words, closing his eyes he could feel the anger within him boiling to the surface. How could he have allowed it to get this far?

She took a step towards him, reaching out her hands that he refused to take. "It makes you what?" Elena asked in an urgent tone, wanting to egg him on a bit.

Stefan refocused his gaze on her as he said in a truthful tone. "It makes me forget all of that. It makes me feel like the old me again, the guy you fell in love with! Being with you makes me wish that I wasn't sick or married. It makes me want to spend every waking moment I have with you and not her! Just so that we don't miss anything. Because, I don't love her, Elena. I've never loved her as much as I've loved you. And, I don't want to leave here without feeling alive again. Which is what you do to me. You make me feel everything. As much as I want to do so, I can't hide from you!" Tears were cascading down his face as she carefully approached him, her hands shaking as she placed one hand onto his moistened cheeks and then the other. "What do you want, Stefan?" She heard him ask, her thumbs rubbing the stubble across his skin as he focused in on her and replied simple. "I want all of you. Here. Now. Without regrets. I want to live in the moment with you. I don't want to wake up without you in my bed." He said, leaning into her and kissing her passionately as Elena felt her body being pressed up against the counter top. Stefan's arms hoisted her up as they both heard the mail drop on to the ground. Elena ran her hand over his bare chest, moving her hands towards his boxers. Stefan gently moved her hair away from her shoulder as she leaned back and laid her body flat onto the smooth cold surface. The kitchen counter felt cold underneath her warm back as she felt Stefan pull her legs closer towards him aggressively. Elena instantly wrapped them around his pelvis, she pulled him close to her, stroking his chest with her fingertips.

Stefan bit his bottom lip hard. He could feel his body stiffen at her touch when she smirked at him. "The kitchen counter?" Elena questioned as Stefan laughed, pointing over to the couch. "I thought it'd be a good idea. I mean, we could go over to the living room." Elena smiled at him, placing her hand onto his cheek as she lifted herself up from the countertop and wrapped her arms around Stefan, pressing a kiss against his neck. "I like this better." She commented, whispering the words into his ear with a seductive tone. Stefan's hands tugged at the hem of his t-shirt, pulling it gently over her head. His lips kissing the top of her breasts, he smiled as he watched Elena arch her back forward and lean back against her elbows. "Do your worst, Mr. Salvatore." She taunted him, giggling loudly when she felt Stefan pulling her off of the counter and into his arms, suddenly heading back into the bedroom. "I thought you said the countertop?" She asked him, wrapping her arms and legs tighter around him as he shook his head while placing his hands underneath her butt to support her body weight.

"We're not doing anything else on that countertop. Now, the same can't be said for my bedroom." He winked, pressing Elena's back against the wall as he kissed her hungrily, hearing her moan out a breath. Stefan felt her legs slip off of him as they gently glided down to the floor. He cupped her face into his hands as she opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Forget breakfast...I want you instead." She told him, leaning into his lips as she felt his hand gently stroke her back. Stefan had pressed Elena against the wall, lifting her arms above her head, watching her lips quiver a bit as his fingertips touched her so lightly that it felt like he was caressing her skin with a feather. "Stef...an....Stefan...." She stammered out, her mind reeling as he took control over her body. He smirked, kissing her shoulder before she watched his thumb press against her lips. His green eyed gaze was seductive and intense, alluring as he bit his bottom lip and just inches away from her, he spoke with an inviting glance. "You're so beautiful and I want you, Elena." He said in a serious tone, his eyes flickering with pure admiration for her as he traced her lips with his fingers before leaving a sweet kiss against her lips. Elena's heart raced quicker, her breathing hitched as she felt Stefan's mouth moving towards her ear. She closed her eyes, trying to calm herself. However, she could feel her body losing control as Stefan tugged on her earlobe gently with his teeth. Her heart was pounding inside of her chest while he whispered into her ear. "I'm never going to stop wanting you, Elena."

Elena smiled at him, grabbing a hold of his hand as he guided them back into the bedroom, closing the door behind them. Elena heard the door close and her heart felt like it was about to leap out of her chest while he hands gently touched her overheated skin. "Close your eyes." Stefan told her, grabbing her hand until she felt her knees hit the back of the bed in his room and then her body was being lowered onto the mattress. Elena laughed with her eyes still closed, smiling widely as she felt Stefan's body hovering over her because she could feel his cool breath tickling her skin. Each kiss upon her skin, each caress of made Elena's flesh feel like it was on fire. She tried to speak, but all she kept thinking about were where his hands would to go next. Leaning her head back and closing her eyes tightly, Stefan moved effortlessly, kissing and touching her. Elena felt herself falling deeper and deeper under his spell as she wrapped her arms around him and whispered into his ears ever so softly. "And, I want you, Stefan. Over and over again."

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Aubrey sat on the porch the next morning, her eyes scanning over again at Stefan's test results. She hated that the last things they had said to each other had been hateful words and it broke her heart that he left the house angry with her. Picking up her cell phone and about to dial his number, a knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. Aubrey got up from her seat in the backyard as she walked through the now quiet house.

Opening the door, she was met with two darkened brown eyes and a pissed off expression spreading across her face. "You know, I liked you in the beginning. Now, I don't know what to even think of you. And," Katherine paused, brushing past her and into the foyer. Katherine turned around just as the door closed and Aubrey crossed her arms over her chest, staring at her intently. "What are you doing here, Katherine?" She asked.

The brunette smiled, tilting her head to the side as she pursed her lips together and then smirked a little. "As if you don't know." She commented, making her way into the living room and noticing the magazines on the coffee table, they were traveling magazines. "Going somewhere? Leaving Stefan to die alone, perhaps?"

Aubrey took a deep breath, following her into the living room and placing her hands onto the back of one of their cream colored leather couches. "No, I'm not. Listen, Stefan's sick and he was going to tell you guys. It's just-."

"You told him not to do it just yet." Katherine pointed out, glancing down at her black high heels before she locked eyes onto Stefan's wife. "Well," She paused, shaking her head in disgust as she made her way back to the front entrance. "For your information. I have a very scared little boy at my house right now. He's scared to death of losing his father! The only person who has ever had his best interests at heart!"

"Ben's not supposed to know. Stefan and I-." Aubrey began to say as Katherine's anger grew. She was feeling a range of emotions and all of them at the moment were being directed towards Aubrey.

"Well!" Katherine threw her hands up into the air, her frustration building and just about to boil up to the very surface. "He does! Because of you and Stefan probably yelling about it!" She suddenly shouted, watching as Aubrey's body tensed up.

"Ben knows that his dad is going to die, Aubrey! He knows and that's why I'm here." She licked her bottom lip, confessing. Katherine closed her eyes, continuing to explain. "Why would you do that to a little boy? Why in the hell would you or Stefan talk about his illness in front of Ben? You know, I'm mad at Stefan too. Although, I'm way more pissed off at you because you're the 'oh so perfect step mom' that's supposed to protect him from all of this! Yet, now that you didn't. I have a little boy at my house who spent the night with my husband crying because of how heartbroken he is and you should be ashamed of yourself!" Katherine yelled, opening the front door to exit out of the house as Aubrey rushed after her, calling her name.

"Katherine. Please, wait!" She shouted, stopping her hand with the door as Katherine began walking to the car and started unlocking the driver's side door.

"What?" She asked, feeling a bit annoyed that Damon had even sent her over to Stefan's house to try and talk to Aubrey about why Ben was saying the things he had been to Damon the night before.

"I'm sorry, alright. It's just been a lot to handle lately. Please, tell Ben that I'll see him in the morning and please tell him that I love him." She told her, watching as the brunette nodded, getting into her car and leaving without even saying goodbye.

Aubrey slowly walked back into the house. She hadn't heard from Stefan since the day before he had gotten to Seattle which had already been two days ago. He had told her that he'd be in touch, however that after everything, it was better that they took some time apart. Missing him was starting to take its toll and so, she decided to call. Standing outside of the house, Aubrey dialed the familiar number. It was already late in the afternoon and she figured that he was probably taking in the sights of Seattle as the phone rang.

Aubrey's body tensed up and her heart sank when she heard an unfamiliar voice on the other end saying a soft and groggy. "Hello?" She opened her mouth to say something. Although, she couldn't. Instead, Aubrey stood there in the middle of the driveway with the phone pressed against her ear as the young woman spoke again. "Hello?" She answered a little louder, before eventually hanging up Stefan's phone and leaving Aubrey completely stunned and her mind reeling with one realization, Stefan clearly wasn't alone in Seattle.

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	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Hey all! So sorry for my absence. Hopefully this update will make up for it. Enjoy & Thanks so much for reading! :)

Remember Me- Chapter Fourteen

"Who was that?" Stefan asked, drying off his hair with a towel as Elena laid back into the mattress underneath her and she closed her eyes. She knew who it was and what she'd just so stupidly done. If anything, Aubrey knew about them now too, even if she didn't want to.

"Your wife called and I just accidentally answered the phone. I didn't mean to do it. But, I did and-." The angry look on Stefan's face was enough for Elena to get up out of bed and begin to apologize to him. "Please, Stefan. I'm sorry. I didn't-." Cutting her off with a wave of his hand, he got dressed quickly and took his cell phone into his hands.

"You and I are being incredibly stupid and reckless with each other. Elena, as much as I've been enjoying these last few days with you and these last few hours. I think it's time you go to stay with your brother." He said, without looking at her as Elena closed her eyes and shook her head. It was already too late; Aubrey knew and god only knew what she was going to do about it.

Elena scoffed, trying to stand her ground. "Why did you even marry her, Stefan? It's obvious to me that you barely even love her at all. I mean, she's the one who should be here with you. Not me!" She hissed out as Stefan stood up, their eyes level on one another when he stood in front of her and spoke in a warning tone. "I married her because you weren't there and Ben needed a mother. Because, if my illness ever came back. I wanted him to be okay. Okay? I married Aubrey out of fucking convenience for myself even if I didn't really love her that much. But, I grew to love her and to be honest, I've been fucking stupid with you lately. Now, I think it would be best for you to leave."

Elena shook her head, anger boiling up within her heart and her blood. "Here we are, fighting again like usual. God, damn it! Just when I thought-." He cut her off again, glaring at her.

"Just when you thought what? That we could really happy together again? Elena, I'm cheating on my wife and I'm a pathetic man for doing so." Stefan pointed out to her, running his hands through his hair as he looked up at her and made a stern suggestion. "We shouldn't see each other again for a while. Not until I figure things out with Aubrey." He told her, handing her a piece of paper with an address on it as he exhaled deeply.

"What's this?" Elena asked, giving him a perplexed look as Stefan shrugged his shoulders back and spoke. "If you don't want to stay with your brother. I understand. However, I think you should stay here then. I'll come out there too, eventually. Just to see how she's doing and how you are of course." Stefan replied, watching as Elena looked down at the address and noticed the name on it.

"You want me to go see her? Alone?" Elena asked as Stefan nodded, telling her he thought that it would be a good idea and that he'd be in touch over the next few days.

"You knew! Didn't you?" She shouted out, pushing her way inside of the house as Katherine and Damon stood near the door, confusion and utter shock on their faces while Aubrey glared at both of them for whatever wrong doing she claimed they had done.

"Knew what?" Damon asked her, scratching his head and trying to make sense of whatever it was that she was talking about.

"About Stefan's illness, about the fact that he's in Seattle with another woman. But, not just any woman. With her! His ex-fiancé, Elena Gilbert!" Aubrey screamed. Damon watched as Katherine pulled her aside, telling her to keep her voice down and that it would be best for them to talk outside. Katherine dragged her outside onto the patio as Aubrey breakdown in tears and stammered out uncoherent words like "How could he do this to me!"

"Aubrey, I had no idea that he was with her or that she was even in Seattle." Katherine tried to say, attempting to defuse the situation and make things a little bit less tense between them all. However, Aubrey looked as if she was going to kill one of them. "My daddy told me to never trust a rich man like Stefan Salvatore. Why the hell didn't I listen to him? Of course, he's still in love with her! I've known it for years. I just kept thinking that if I made him forget about her that things would be easier, that he'd love me more." She said as Damon paced the backyard and stopped when he heard something that stood out to him that Aubrey had just said.

"What did you just say?" He asked as Aubrey's tearful face glanced up at him and she sniffled out her words once more about Elena. "I said, if I made him forget about her...." She reiterated.

London....Elena being offered a job to work with Rebekah at her husband's firm. "Now, maybe it's a stretch. But, I think your parents set her up to stay in London, didn't they? Because they knew my brother was still in love with her and that it would ruin what the two of you had built. What you had built with him, this lavish lifestyle....They're part of the reason why Stefan and Elena have been apart for so long. Because, the day that Stefan met you at that benefit dinner for Klaus's charity. It wasn't just an accident. They had done their homework, they wanted you to meet him. To get under his skin. Because, they were having financial problems and your family isn't as wealthy as everyone claims they are. They pushed you to marry my brother, for the money of course."

She sat there speechless, unaware of what to really say as Damon's theories came spilling out one by one and Katherine quickly stopped him. "That's ridiculous, Damon. It's enough. You're humiliating the poor girl."

Aubrey was crying even harder now, wailing sobs escaping out of her mouth as she took a few minutes to let herself cry it out and then with a red face and tear stained cheeks, she told them something that left them both a bit at a loss for words. "My parents did set up the meeting with Stefan. They knew about your family and how wealthy you all are. They also knew that we were about to lose everything. So, they figured that if I met Stefan, had him fall in love with me and marry me that it would save myself and them financially. But," She paused, glancing down at her wedding ring as she softly said. "No one was prepared for how I'd really start to feel about him down the line. No one, including myself thought that I was going to fall in love with him. But, I started to. A little after I had met Ben for the first time and saw them interacting together. I thought to myself that I could truly see myself being a family with him. Then, Elena came back into the picture and nearly ruined everything. So, yes, I had someone I knew very well make sure that Elena was too distracted in London to come back here."

"And, who could that have been, Aubrey?" Damon asked, shaking his head as he crossed his arms and felt the anger towards her come rushing to the surface when she stated. "Kai Parker. He wasn't just Elena's counselor. He was my childhood friend, with a very charming side to him that I banked on Elena falling for. Which, when she did. I knew that he'd keep her in London for a while longer than anyone else could. That was until the wedding came and I knew that it was time to finally see who Elena Gilbert was."

Damon shook his head, feeling disgusted with himself and with the new information that he had just learned as he asked in a stern tone. "Is he really sick, Aubrey? Or is my brother dying another made up lie of yours?"

She shook her head, wiping away her tears as she locked her eyes on to Damon and then to Katherine when she stated in a soft tone. "It's not a lie, Damon. He really is sick. Stefan really only has a few more years to live, if the treatment doesn't work for him. That time could be reduced to a year or two to live. I'm sorry." She told them, watching as Katherine and Damon stood beside each other in disbelief. Aubrey paused for a brief moment when Katherine asked in a curious tone. "Was any of it real? Your love for Ben, the way you loved Stefan?"

She nodded, swallowing the lump forming in her throat as she stated. "All of it. But, I should have known that my lies would catch up to me. So, I guess I can't be that mad at Stefan. Since, our marriage has been a total fabrication of the truth and soon enough, he'll see me for who I really am."

Elena stood in front of the door nervously. She couldn't get herself to knock on it and as much as she wanted to, she also wanted to turn right back around and leave. However, after everything that Stefan had done for Aunt Jenna and for her in these last few months, Elena knew that it wouldn't be fair to him or to herself to not at least sit down and talk with her aunt.

Exhaling deeply, she placed her hand on to the door and gave it a quick knock. Waiting, she took a step back as the door in front of her flung open and Jenna's dirty blonde hair flew out of her face, a wide smile spreading across her lips. "If it isn't who I think it is! Oh my god! Ric, honey! Check out what the cat dragged in!" Jenna hollered, pulling Elena into a tight embrace as they both laughed and Alaric came rushing to the door, getting a good look at Elena as he and Jenna both gave her a once over. She looked just like she had before, a little older and worn from the daily stresses of life. However, she was still the same niece that Jenna had hired all those years ago to work at her salon in Florida.

"I can't believe it! Sweetie, what on earth are you doing here?" Jenna asked, closing the door behind them while she pulled Elena into her for another hug and then Alaric hugged her too. They all smiled and laughed as Elena pointed to the piece of paper with her aunt's address on it, trying to explain.

"Stefan gave me your address and he told me that it would probably be a good idea to come and see you. Since, you know, it's been a long time." Elena smiled, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ears as she nervously fidgeted in place while her aunt smiled sweetly at her.

"So, why isn't Stefan here with you?" Jenna asked, watching Elena's happy facial expression quickly change to that of pure disappointment. "He has some other things to tend to." Elena explained, hoping that her vague enough answer would prevent the talk about Stefan to be brought up again.

"So, how's your brother and his wife?" The question made Elena take a moment to think about the best way she was going to approach the answer. She shrugged her shoulders as Jenna guided them into the living room while she replied with a simple answer. "They're divorced." Elena explained, watching Jenna's face fall as she took a seat next to Ric, grabbing his hand into hers instantly.

"What?" Jenna asked as Elena leaned back into the couch cushions, looking around her aunt's living room and noticing all the frames filled with familiar pictures. The memories of the happier times made her smile. It felt good being back with her family after so long.

"Yeah. It happened recently. I'm surprised no one really told you." Elena stated, hearing Jenna exhale deeply as she readjusted herself by Ric. She'd been out of the family loop for quite some time and now with Elena there, things felt like they once did. However, Jenna wasn't really sure about things because she could sense the uneasiness Elena felt around her.

"Part of me thinks you're not here to really talk about the family. So, why are you really here, Elena?" Jenna asked in a soft tone as Elena ran her fingers through her hair while she replied in an honest tone. "You're right, I'm not really here for that. I'm here to talk about the money, Stefan gave you Aunt Jenna. Why did he really contribute nearly half a million dollars to you and this new business you're running?"

She watched as Ric and Jenna looked at each other, both of them unsure of what to really say. But after a few minutes of silence between them, Ric dropped a bombshell. "It's not for a business. It's to build a house for him, for you and Ben. And to put money into a savings account for Ben. Look, Elena...We swore we weren't going to say anything. But, Stefan talked about his will with us and what he wants to happen after he's gone. Listen, he made it very clear. Elena, he wants you to stay in your son's life. That's the real reason he contacted us. Stefan thinks it would be a good idea for you and Ben to live with us after he's gone. He wants Ben to have a normal life and to get to know his mother on this piece of land and in a new house for the two of you. Because, you're all he's going to have left."

A/N: Until Next Time!


	15. Chapter Fifteen

A/N: Merry Christmas everyone! :)

Remember Me- Chapter Fifteen

His hands shook, weeks had gone by since he had spoken to Aubrey and seen Elena. Aubrey had confessed to him over the phone that she'd been lying to him and she said that they really needed to talk about things when he was back in town. However, all Stefan had been thinking about after Aubrey's confession was divorce papers. As for Elena, Stefan and her had a few run ins at the penthouse. Although, for the most part, she had been catching up with Jenna and Ric. Therefore, Stefan needed to start his treatments alone and so, he did. He had tried to keep things civil with Aubrey and with Elena, he was still trying to figure things out. Mostly his feelings for her. Maybe it was the fact that death was knocking on his doorstep, maybe that was why he wanted her closer. Yet, he knew deep down that his illness wasn't the only reason. Throughout everything, Elena had always been his hope and he hated that she wasn't there with him at the moment in the unfamiliar hospital. But, he was the one who told her to stay away for a little while.

"You need to sit still. The side effects won't be the greatest." The young nurse gave him a weary look as she spoke in a soft tone and Stefan nodded his head, attempting to smile. "As long as it keeps me alive for a while longer." He replied, pointing to a pen and a piece of paper. He watched her turn towards it, giving him a confused look. "Don't worry, I'm not writing my will on some random piece of paper. I've already done that. Decided to give nearly all of my inheritance from my very wealthy father to my son and my ex-fiancé. Not, my current lying wife. Believe me, it's a really messed up story."

She laughed a little, nodding her head and exhaling deeply as she told Stefan to close his eyes while she administered the I.V.s that were necessary for his chemotherapy sessions. "How many of these will I need?" Stefan asked, his voice sounding a bit fearful of having the upcoming side effects that he wasn't really ready for.

"That's what the doctor is going to discuss with you after we're done with the first few rounds. Now, is there anyone that will be able to drive you home afterwards?" She asked him, giving Stefan a curious look. He shook his head, no. "Do I really have to call someone to drive me home?" The nurse nodded and gave him a stern glance. "Yes. The side effects can cause dizziness and nausea. It's not recommended to drive home by yourself, at least at the moment."

"I'll just call a cab." He replied, taking in the fact that in a few hours, he was probably going to regret that he had sent Elena to visit with Jenna and that in fact, he needed her more at the moment.

Exhaling deeply, Stefan closed his eyes and leaned back into the hospital bed he was laying in. The chairs had all been taken up in the oncology department where his chemotherapy was to take place. So, the doctor decided to administer the first round of drugs in his own private room. "On second thought," His voice hitched as he handed the nurse a phone number and leaned over towards her. "Can you call this number and ask the person to meet me here?" He asked, watching the nurse nod as she told Stefan that she'd be right back and that he needed to relax.

"Before you say anything. I'm sorry I called you." He told her, allowing his aching body to relax a bit as she drove them back to the penthouse. He hadn't really felt anything yet, two hours after the first round. However, he knew that over time his body would react in various ways to the drugs and he was terrified of being alone during it all.

"It's fine. Things were getting a little awkward with them anyways. I think I'd overstayed my welcome." Elena shrugged, not wanting to bring up what she had learned just days earlier about Stefan's will and the fact that he was building a house for her and Ben to reside in, on the same property that her aunt now lived on.

"What do you think about this area?" Stefan suddenly asked, attempting to distract himself from the bout of nauseous that he was feeling. Elena watched as he closed his eyes and leaned his head upon the cold feeling glass passenger side window.

"I think it's beautiful." She replied simply, biting her cheek as she drove and kept her eyes on the road.

Elena could hear Stefan fidgeting in his seat as he groaned out in pain. "Elena, you might need to pull the car over." He requested, feeling sick to his stomach. He felt the car jerk to the side of the road and he heard her gasp when the car door flung open and he stumbled outside, vomiting profusely.

After a few minutes, Stefan returned, wiping his hand with a napkin that she had handed him. "Sorry, I couldn't hold it any longer." Closing the car door, she could feel her stomach tighten as she grabbed a hold of his hand and with tears in her eyes, she spoke softly. It was the about the worst time to mention it. But, she needed to know. "Why didn't you tell me that you want me to raise Ben after you're gone? Stefan, why didn't you tell me about the house that you're building?"

His face went pale, his once green vibrant eyes looked as if they had, had the life sucked out of them as he licked his bottom lip and inhaled deeply. There it was, his secret plans- exposed and out in the open.

Stefan opened his mouth to speak. But, no words came out. All that was uttered was a deep sigh. He felt Elena release his hand as she glanced over at him with saddened eyes and explained. "Jenna and Ric told me about the plans today. They showed me the blueprints of this beautiful house and they talked about your Will and-." Anger in his tone, cut her words off as he slammed his fist against the arm rest of the car, which forced Elena to pull over once again into a partially empty parking lot in front of a closed retail store.

"You weren't supposed to know about any of that!" He screamed, furious at himself for even telling her. Even more anger at his own body that was giving up on him. He hated this, just when he had felt that he had gotten her back. This…The disease was going to take him away from everything.

"But, I do!" She yelled back, closing her eyes and trying to keep calm. They didn't have to be yelling at each other. She shouldn't have brought it up at all. Elena cursed herself for mentioning it at the moment. Yet, she needed to know. Why he had kept it a secret and why he didn't want his wife raising their son after he was gone. Why did he want her to do it after everything she had done to him?

"I'm sorry for yelling, okay? I just," She paused, swallowing down her fears as she grabbed a hold of his hand again and gently stroked her thumb across his skin. "I just don't know what makes you think that I'd be any good of a mother to him after you're gone? Stefan, I can't do this without you!"

She watched him shake his head, leaning towards her. Stefan left a gentle kiss upon her cheek as he locked his tired eyes on to hers and stated in a soft tone. "Because, sweetheart. After I'm gone. I couldn't imagine Ben with anyone else. The past is the past, Elena. What we did to each other wasn't fair. But, we can move forward now and be better to one another." He told her as she placed her hands onto both sides of his cool feeling face and stroked her thumbs against his cheeks.

"What about Aubrey?" He heard her ask.

Kissing her lips, Stefan caressed her cheek as he lovingly stared into her eyes and said in a confident tone. "In a few days, Aubrey and I will be on our way to being done forever. I'm getting a divorce. Besides, things with her are complicated. I'll always have a place for her in my heart. But, she isn't what I need or want. Elena, you are. You always have been and I promise you. Our family is going to be just what it should have been all those years ago. You, me and our son. That's all I want and need. All we're missing right now is Ben."

"Stefan." She whispered, kissing him before backing away and grabbing a hold of his hand for a moment. She glanced down at it as she spoke softly. "You know, I was thinking. Maybe in a few weeks, after you're feeling a little better. Maybe we can have Ben here for a visit? I know that Jenna and Ric said that they'd love to see him." Elena suggested. Stefan nodded his head, feeling tired and achy once again as he agreed softly. "I'm sure Ben would love that. I know I would. I miss him a lot already."

"You know, Christmas is in about two weeks. Maybe we could have Damon or Katherine bring Ben here to celebrate with us?" Stefan suggested, watching as Elena's face fell. She couldn't remember the last time she had actually celebrated Christmas with anyone. After she had left, Elena barely even acknowledged the holiday. Without her family or close friends, things had been hard. Klaus and Caroline had attempted to make things a bit easier by throwing a little part each year at their London apartment. Yet, things never really felt that festive.

"We don't even have a tree or ornaments." She remarked as Stefan laughed a little. Nothing had ever stopped him before and barely having any time to decorate wasn't going to stop him from having his son beside him during the holidays. "Don't worry about it. I'll put you in charge of that and I'll make arraignments for Ben to come visit us." He replied, hoping that he could pull it all off. The last thing Stefan wanted was to feel miserable during the holidays and deep down he knew that having Ben there would make things even better.

"But," Elena paused, feeling his hand on top of hers as he tightened his fingers around hers and inhaled deeply. "It doesn't matter. I'll feel better when we're all together. It can be our first official Christmas as a family."

"I didn't even buy you or Ben a gift." Elena remarked, staring out at the road ahead of them. Stefan shrugged his shoulders back, taking her hand into his as he kissed her knuckles before he stated in a sincere tone. "You and him are all I will ever need. You're my gift."

"Oh, there's my big boy!" Stefan shouted out, smiling from ear to ear when Elena opened the door and Katherine took a step inside a day before Christmas eve. They watched her, releasing Ben's hand and telling him to go see his dad.

"Daddy!" He screamed, running past Elena and right into his father's arms.

"I've missed you, buddy!" Stefan exclaimed, kissing Ben and tickling him instantly. Katherine nudged for Elena to step outside of the penthouse for a minute so that they could talk in private, allowing the boys some privacy as well.

Katherine crossed her arms over her chest, staring down at her shoes as she cleared her throat. "Is he going to be okay here. With the two of you?" She asked, sounding like that overprotective mother that she was. Katherine had always been overly protective of Ben, as if he was one of her own.

Elena nodded. "Why wouldn't he be? He's our son, Katherine." She heard her comment. The curly haired brunette pointed back towards the door as she tapped her foot against the carpet in the walkway. She wasn't really sure what was going on between them. However, their relationship in front of Ben was one of her biggest concerns. "Not that. I know that. What I meant is you and Stefan. What's going on with the two of you?"

Elena swallowed down the lump in her throat. She wasn't really sure herself of what was going on between them. "Are you two just fucking each other again or is it a little more serious than that?" Katherine snapped, tilting her head to the side with a curious expression upon her face. She wanted to know, like always. Katherine wanted to know everything.

Elena scratched the top of her head, covering her hands over her face. "I don't know."

"What?" Katherine spat out, sounding a little surprised by Elena's confusion. Surely, with Stefan's dire prognosis, Katherine was pretty sure that they knew on what terms their relationship was on.

Elena shrugged, exhaling deeply. "It's complicated, Katherine. Like always with Stefan. You know that, things have always been very complicated between us. But, right now, our relationship status doesn't matter. What matters is an ill father spending time with his young son and making memories that he'll be able to remember Stefan by." Elena explained as Katherine nodded her head in agreement. She was right, according to the doctors and his test results. If a miracle wasn't to happen, Stefan only had a few more years with Ben. Which meant that they'd have to make as many memories as they could together.

Changing the subject briskly, Katherine smiled. "So, I'll fly back out here and pick him up after Christmas. That way, you and Stefan can spend New Year's alone together and maybe even figure out that complicated relationship status of yours." She winked, pulling Elena into a hug as she whispered softly. "Merry Christmas, Elena. Regardless of what I've said to you in the past. I'm glad your back with them. Stefan really needs this. He really needed you and Ben. So, thank you for taking care of him."

"She didn't want to come inside and hang out with us?" Stefan asked, coughing a little as he opened the door to the penthouse and watched Katherine walk down the hall, disappearing out of view. Elena's eyes widened. She was silently praying that he hadn't heard any of their conversation. However, Elena had a pit in her stomach from the look in his eyes. Then it happened, Stefan pulled her aside, making sure that Ben wasn't in ear shot.

"This." He said, pointing between them to make sure she understood before he continued. "You and I aren't just sleeping together again, Elena. I'm not that guy anymore and you know that. So, next time, my sometimes-nosy sister in law asks. You make fucking sure to tell her that. This isn't just a fling for me. And, it shouldn't be just one for you either. I love you, Elena. And, frankly, I think this right now is us trying to rebuild everything that we've lost between each other and the relationship we both have with that little boy we created together. So, how about we go in that living room, hand in hand. Together as a couple and spend time quality time with our son?"

Stefan took a step back, extending out his hand towards her as she gave him a sweet shy smile. "Okay." She replied, taking a hold of his hand into hers and feeling him tighten his grasp around her fingers.

"Are you ready for this?" He asked, placing his chin on her shoulder before kissing her cheek as he whispered out his words softly. Elena carefully watched Ben in the middle of the living room, playing with a pack of race cars that Katherine had bought him as an early Christmas gift.

"Yea, I am." She replied confidently. Walking over slowly to Ben as Stefan watched her take a seat beside their son and smile lovingly at the little boy. "Hi Ben. Do you remember me?" She asked, glancing up at Stefan who was nodding with a bit of encouragement.

"Yeah, you're my real momma. Elena." He smiled, shyly getting up from his little play area and running over to Stefan's arms, curling up against his father.

"Are you being shy?" Stefan asked with a playful smile, tickling his son until he turned around towards Elena and cautiously looked at her. Ben nodded. "Yea." He replied, turning back towards Stefan who had now scooped him into his arms and brought him over to the kitchen. The wave of nauseous had returned and just from the look on his face, Elena could tell that something was wrong. She quickly got up from her spot on the carpet and walked over to them.

"You know what, Ben. How about you and I start dinner and your daddy can go lay down for a bit?" She suggested, rubbing Stefan's back gently as he gave her a knowing look and quietly agreed, mouthing a weak "Thank you" in her direction.

"I've got it from here. I'll come check up on you after we're done in the kitchen." Elena told him, watching as Stefan staggered into their now shared bedroom. Closing her eyes, she exhaled deeply. She was silently praying for a miracle. Because deep down in her heart she knew, they all needed one.

"Stefan?" Elena called out his name in a quiet tone, glancing back out at the living room when she noticed that Ben had fallen asleep to the movie that they had been watching together. He had been in there for over an hour and Elena didn't think much of it. Until now when he didn't sound like he was responding.

"Stefan!" Elena knocked on the door a little harder, thinking the worst. "Please, open the door." She begged, hearing a faint groaning coming out from behind it.

The pale and fragile look in his green gaze made her heart sink. Stefan held himself up against the door frame. "What can I do?" Elena asked quickly, placing her arm around him as he leaned his head against her shoulder. "Tell me what I can do." He heard her say as she guided him to their bed. Stefan felt his body relax the minute his aching muscles hit the mattress.

"Can you bring Ben in here?" He asked her, watching as she nodded, tears welling up into her eyes.

"Sure." Elena commented, slowly stepping out of the room and walking back to the couch. Elena gently bent down and wrapped her arms around the little boy, feeling his head rest against her shoulder as she walked back into the bedroom with him. Ben stirred in her arms for a minute before she placed him in between her and Stefan. Elena felt an overwhelming sadness overcome her as watched Stefan kiss the top of Ben's head. "Come here." He softly said to Elena, extending out his hand towards her as he pulled Ben against himself and Elena laid down beside their son, placing her arms around Stefan and Ben.

"My boys." She smiled weakly, feeling Stefan take her hand into his palm, bringing her knuckles towards his lips as he kissed each one. Locking his eyes onto her, he murmured out in a voice just above a whisper. "This is exactly what I wanted. Just the three of us, like this." Stefan said, his eyes welling up with tears as Elena grabbed a hold of his hand and intertwined their fingers. "Me too." She replied, placing her hand onto the pillow beneath her head as she felt Stefan covering them up with a blanket.

"Thank you," Elena paused, her voice cracking as her eyes resting upon Stefan's tired face while she uttered out. "For forgiving me and giving me a second chance to be here."

He watched from the door as she tucked Ben into the large queen size bed and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Your dad and I will be just in the next room if you need anything." Elena reminded him, watching her son nod as she pated Stefan on the shoulder and left the two of them alone to say goodnight to one another.

"Daddy?" Ben questioned, rubbing his eyes and yawning a little as Stefan took a seat on the edge of the bed and exhaled deeply, waiting for his son to ask whatever it was that was on his mind.

"Is mommy Elena going to stay this time, forever?" The innocence of his son's question made Stefan choke up a bit. If he only knew. But, thankfully, Ben was only aware of a few things and it was better this way, Stefan thought. For now at least.

Fighting back tears, Stefan leaned over his son, kissing his forehead as he said. "Yeah, Ben. She will stay forever this time, I promise. Now, baby boy. Get some rest. I love you." Elena heard him slowly walking into the living room, seeing his face covered in tears while he took a seat beside her. He'd been thankful the door to his son's bedroom was closed because in the moment. Stefan's heart was aching and he couldn't take it anymore. She wrapped her arms around him, hearing his sobs shatter her heart in a million little pieces while he said in a strained voice. "I need you to take care of our son. I need you to promise me that you won't leave him again. Elena, after I'm gone. You'll be all he's got…." Stefan's voice trailed off as she pulled him again her, running her fingers through his hair. Elena whispered softly into his ear, vowing to keep her promise to both of them. "I love him, Stefan. And, I promise you. I promise that I'm never leaving again. I'm going to try the best I can to be better than I was before. I promise, I'm going to be a better mother and a better partner to you."

"Partner?" Stefan questioned, wiping away his tears as Elena shrugged her shoulders. She wasn't really sure what she was considered in his eyes anymore. But from the sound of it, she was something.

"Yeah." Elena sniffled, giving him a warm smile. Stefan stayed silent, simply agreeing with her. "Okay." He stated, resting his head back against her, listening to her heart beat.

She laid beside him for a few hours, not wanting to move until she heard a small whimpering cry coming from the bedroom that Ben was in, a little after 3am. Elena woke up, slowly pulling herself out of bed and opening the door to the guest bedroom to check up on him. She lingered for a bit, watching him sleep and just when she was about to leave the room. Elena noticed something unfamiliar within his toys. A small tin box, labeled with a black marker. "Letters To Ben"

Opening it slowly, she removed the only piece of paper inside as she took it into the living room and sat on a bar stool in the kitchen. Her hands were shaking as she opened up the piece of paper and noticed Stefan's hand writing. A sticky note slipped inside that read.

"Elena,

Please read these, a day at a time or over the years. They're letters to our son. Most of them are for when he's a bit older. However, some of them can be read soon. Don't open them yet though. I'd rather you read them to him if you're both having a shitty day and need a little pick me up. Maybe I'll leave a few around the new house for you as well to find in places that you least except and as a reminder that I'll still always be around. Baby, I know that this is hard for you. Believe me, it's all a lot harder for me to accept. But, I want you to know that in these past few years, you've made my life better and I'm thankful for that. Thank you for loving me and giving me the best gift on this planet, Ben.

I love you so much. Please, don't you ever forget that."

Love always,

Stefan.

With shaking hands, Elena slowly opened the letter and read it. Tears streaming down her face as her eyes scanned each word and she realized something. These letters, his words. Stefan was preparing himself to say something that none of them wanted to say yet. He was preparing himself to say…Goodbye.

Dear Ben,

I don't know how to really start this or where to begin. How do I tell my young son that his father is dying of cancer? That I could have between 1-2 more years left with you and your mother….My beautiful boy. I'm going to try the best that I can to write as many of these as I can. I'm going to write to you, because I want you to know a few things before I leave you and Elena.

There are a lot of things that I'm not going to be a part of son. Like, your 16th birthday. Your first driving lesson and your first crush and kiss. I won't be there to tell you how proud of you I am when you walk across that stage to receive your high school and college diplomas. I won't be the beaming father of the groom at your wedding or the dotting grandfather your children will get to see. But, the thing is Ben. I don't want these letters to focus on all the things that I'm going to be missing out on in your life. I want them to focus instead on all of the life lessons, I want to teach you before this illness makes me unable to do it.

There are a few things you should know in life, son. And, being honest is one of them. If there was one thing that I didn't learn until later on in life, it was that. Believe me, telling the truth about a lot of things is better than lying. You sleep better at night. Just ask your uncle Damon. He can tell you all about the times I lied. Mostly to him, my exe wives and your own mother. Yeah, your dad was a bit of an asshole. But, that was before you. That was before her. It was before the two of you changed me into a better man. Long before I wanted to be a better man. Because, that's what you two have done for me. You've made me a better human being and I'm thankful for it. Because let's be honest, Stefan Salvatore was a really big douche bag before either of you came into my life. Just ask your aunt Katherine too. I'm sure she's got plenty of stories.

Forgiving is another. Please don't hold grudges against people or your family. The worst thing in life is walking around bitter. Trust me on this one, I did it to your mother for a very long time. Allow her to explain once the time is right. But, whatever she says. Know that whatever happened between us, I have never loved anyone as much as I have loved her. It's not just because she's your mom. There is a lot more to it. Even though she's flawed (no one is EVER perfect- by the way). Your mother is an amazing person at her very core. Be kind and forgiving. Please, Ben. Don't be arrogant and a know it all. Take it from someone who knows, it won't get you far in life. Learn things and allow others to teach you things. It's good to educate yourself about the things you don't know.

Well son, there are going to hopefully be a lot more of these coming. So, keep an eye open for them.

I love you, Benjamin. I love you so much and I am going to miss you. It breaks my heart knowing how much I'm going to miss you. But, I promise that I'll always be there for you- even if you don't see me. I'll always be beside you, being your biggest fan and cheering you on throughout life.

Love always,

Dad.

A/N: Klaroline, Datherine and more Stelena coming soon. Thanks for reading! :)


	16. Chapter Sixteen

A/N: Just a short little update! Happy New Year Everyone! :)

Remember Me- Chapter Sixteen

"I want us to stay like this forever. You in my arms and the world moving around us. But, none of it will matter. Because, it's the two of us in this apartment and that's all I care about." Stefan had told her, leaning into her lips and kissing Elena delicately. His hands tracing down her backside as Elena rolled into him, pure joy on her face.

"We'll need to go out and get food sometimes. You know, so that we don't die." She remarked as Stefan laughed, kissing the top of her head and running his fingers through her hair. "Of course, Or, we could just have it delivered and save us both the trip of long lines at the grocery store."

Elena lifted herself up on her elbows as she laughed, leaning towards him to kiss his cheek. "But, I like doing those things with you. Simple, domesticated stuff. Grocery shopping, holding your hand in public. I don't really care what we're doing. As long as we're together." She commented, feeling Stefan's hand slip underneath the sheets. He rested them against her bare skin, gliding down to her hips. His mouth hovering over hers as she wrapped her legs around him and laid her back flat on the mattress.

"Do you know how much I love you?" He asked her, caressing her face as he watched her eyelids flutter shut and she smiled at him, guessing in a playful tone. "Just a little bit." Elena said, feeling his hands tickling her skin as she began to laugh and he leaned down to her neck, kissing and nipping her soft warm flesh.

"A lot more than just a little, Elena. You mean the world to me and I don't ever want us to be apart. No matter what happens, I'm always going to love you." He said, working his mouth up to her lips before he left a soft and gently kiss upon them. Elena placed her hand onto his chest, grinning from ear to ear as she said. "And, nothing ever will tear us apart. Nothing, Stefan. I don't want to ever be away from you."

Tears were streaming down her face when she slipped back into their bedroom. Stefan's back was turned towards her as she wiped her cheeks and exhaled deeply. The last thing Elena wanted to do was wake him up. So, instead she carefully slide one of her arms underneath him and then placed the other on top of him, pulling him back towards her. Stefan stirred in his sleep a bit, finally turning towards Elena.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" He asked, a groggy tone in his voice as he yawned out a breath and she cupped his face into the palm of her hand. She couldn't take it anymore, knowing that lung cancer was going to take him away from her was soul crushing and there didn't seem like there was much anyone could do about it. It was a grim diagnosis. Everything about his type of cancer didn't really promise a good outcome. All it seemed to promise was a painful and slow death.

"I don't want you to die. I just got you back. We just got each other back into our lives and…I can't do this, Stefan. I need you with me." Her voice cracked when she said it, her lips quivering as he lifted himself up from the mattress and sat up, turning to look at her. Stefan exhaled a staggered breath as he turned to her. His green gaze filled with sleepiness. After all, it was a little after 3am and here they were, talking.

"Elena," He began. Unsure of what to say, since Stefan felt like he had said so much already to nearly everyone. According to his oncologist, there really wasn't much else they could do. Except for wait and see if the chemotherapy made the cancer stop from spreading into his other organs and to see how he reacted from it. He shrugged his shoulders helplessly, not saying a word as he leaned over and pulled her towards him. Stefan felt her head rest against his bare chest as she listened to his heart beat and one of his arms rested against hers, his hand gliding up and down her skin in a comforting motion.

"I can't promise anything, Elena. Cancer is so unpredictable. One day, you're fine and the next, you're sick with I.V.'s and medicine being pumping into your already fragile body. Uncertainty filling your mind about how much longer you'll be around. So, I can't promise you that I'll beat this. But," He paused, feeling the damp tears she was crying slide down from her cheeks and rest onto his skin. Stefan held her tighter, kissing the top of her head. "Look at me." He pleaded with her, watching as her tear stained cheeks glistened in the moonlit room.

"But, what I can do is promise you and Ben that whatever time I am given with the two of you. That I swear, I'll make the best of it and that I will fight as much as I can. You need to understand that I don't want this illness to take away all of my happiness too. It doesn't deserve that." Stefan lifted his head up from the pillow behind him, bringing his lips to hers and kissing her with a hunger filled passion.

"I want to remember this, for the rest of my life. I want us to stay like this forever." He recalled, causing her to smile as she straddled his pelvis and rested her body against his, feeling Stefan pull the cotton sheets over them to keep them both warm.

"You said that to me in Portland." She reminded him as he laughed a little, nodding. "Yeah, I did. Because it was true then and it's true now. I love you." He said, placing his hand onto hers as he wrapped his arms around her protectively and intertwined their fingers. Stefan kissed her forehead while he whispered against her ear. "Go to sleep now, baby. I promise, I'll be here when you wake up. I'm not going anywhere, Elena. Not for a long time."

"Klaus!" Caroline shouted out, attempting to get him to answer the door. Whoever it was, was interrupting her workout and Caroline was getting quite irritated by it.

"What?" She asked in an angered tone, opening the door wide open to reveal Aubrey on the other side.

"Oh, it's you." She remarked, allowing the blonde to come in as Caroline shut the door and just when she was about to open her mouth to ask what it was that Aubrey wanted. She spoke first. "I've been trying to reach Stefan's cell phone for days and all it keeps doing is going to voicemail. I needed to speak with him."

"So, you couldn't have called to tell us that?" Klaus asked her, taking a step in front of his wife as he appeared from the kitchen, wiping his hands onto a small light green colored towel.

"I thought that maybe I could see you guys." She commented, her words forcing Caroline to roll her eyes and scoff. "We're not friends, Aubrey." Caroline reminded her.

Aubrey glanced down at the ground, shrugging her shoulders back. "I don't have anyone anymore. Please, Caroline."

"What do you want me to do, Aubrey? Tell you how sorry I am that your marriage to Stefan is crumbling when in fact, you should have been the one to keep things going and to not have lied. Tell you that part of me is kind of happy that he's in Seattle with Elena!" The room fell silent as Aubrey stared at her blankly and Klaus stared at his wife too in astonishment. They both had known about it since, Klaus had been the one to help Stefan purchase the penthouse and he had heard from Stefan just the other day, who had casually let it slip that Elena was there with him.

Her eyes grew wide, words escaped her. She knew he had gone there alone. Eventually finding out that he was there with someone. But, finding out that it was with her of all people. Well, that had set Aubrey off and not in a good way. "He's with her? His ex-fiancé and the mother of his son?" Aubrey asked, wanting to clarify the information for herself.

"Looks like the cat's out of the bag. You better just fess up to it, love." Klaus leaned forward, whispering the words into his wife's ear. "Things are about to get really interested around here." He chuckled a little, taking a step back when Caroline elbowed him in the chest. "Be quiet!" She warned.

"Yes. He's in Seattle with Elena. The love of his life and the mother to their son. Aubrey, let's face it. If he really had loved you as much as he had claimed that day when you two exchanged your vows. He'd have you by his side right this instant and not her. I'm sorry. But, I know in my heart, for a fact that she's the one for him."

Aubrey's anger grew as she pivoted on her heels and glared over at Caroline. "If she was so great to him. Why'd she leave? Why didn't he marry her instead?" She shouted out, marching over to the front door and shaking her head. Klaus and Caroline stood side by side, staring at one another as they watched Aubrey Whitmore self-destruct. "This isn't over. Believe me, this is just the beginning. Once Stefan is too sick to take care of that little boy. She'll see. I'll be waiting to bring him back to Florida, where he belongs, with me." She stammered out, slamming the door and leaving both of them stunned.

"Did she just say she wants to take Ben away from Stefan and Elena?" Caroline questioned, her face filling with anger as she turned towards Klaus and locked eyes onto her husband. "Over my dead body will she ever do that. Call Katherine and Damon. Tell them that we're coming over. We have a problem that needs to be dealt with. And, her name is Aubrey Whitmore."

Three knocks on the door awake Stefan up the next morning as Elena was cutting up some fruit for Ben and she ran into the room to gently wake him.

"Babe. You need to wake up." Elena quietly spoke, her breath tickling his ear. Stefan rolled over onto his side, groaning out a sigh as the knocking continued and Elena leaned down, kissing Stefan's lips.

"I don't want to do that unless you're right next to me." He told her, pulling her down against him and onto the mattress. Stefan hovered over her, brushing her hair back as his lips kissed her neck, inching their way up to her mouth. Elena giggled out loud. "Stefan! I need to go answer the door." She told him, feeling his body pin her down as he continued to kiss her, suddenly moving his mouth towards hers and leaving a sweet kiss on her warm lips. "NO, you don't. Stay here with me." He suggested as she laughed a little harder. He continued kissing her until she finally broke free. "Fine." He watched her get up from the bed, waving her away. "Go tell whoever it is to leave the three of us the hell alone!" He ordered as Elena shook her head, laughing. Smiling over at Ben, Elena exhaled deeply before turning towards the door and opening it.

"Hello Elena." He said, his voice a deep rasp as she noticed someone else behind him and her legs nearly gave way when she saw who it was.

"Kai?" Elena stammered out, locking her eyes onto her ex as Aubrey stood behind him with a smirk upon her face. "Where's Stefan, you home wrecking whore. Where's my husband?" She asked without skipping a beat, pushing her way inside as she noticed children's toys on the floor and medicine bottles on the counter tops.

"He's still in bed with our son." Elena quickly stated, making sure to put an emphasis on the words 'our son' just for good measure.

"Your son?" Aubrey laughed a little, flicking back her long blonde hair as she took a step-in front of her and pointed around the room. "He's mine now, sweetheart. I'm his step mother and I'm here to take back what's mine. Now, I suggest you tell my cheating husband and my stepson that I'd like to see them. Because, I'm sure they both miss me."

Elena slowly went into the master bedroom, slamming the door shut and locking it. Stefan could tell that something was wrong just by the look in her eyes. "Your wife's here. She apparently wants to spend the New Year with you. She also wants to be the one to take Ben back home, to Florida." Elena explained, causing Stefan to briskly jump out of bed and put his clothing back on. His hands shook as he took a deep breath before turning towards Elena and telling her to keep Ben in their bedroom.

"It's going to be fine, I'm going to settle this, right now." Stefan commented, closing the door behind him and walking out into the living room. Aubrey and Kai sat next to each other on the couch, talking amongst themselves and just when she saw Stefan approach, Aubrey got up and rushed over to him.

"My poor baby. Honey, I am so sorry that I haven't been-." Stefan felt Aubrey's hand caress his cheek and before he knew it, he grabbed a hold of her wrist, exhausting himself as he shoved her against the wall and angrily spat out his words in her face. "Take one step closer to me and I swear to god that you'll both regret it. Now, I'm not stupid, Aubrey. My last wife was after my money and that's all she ever wanted when it came to us. But, you. I know exactly what you want! You want Ben! You want MY son!"

There was a sense of fear in her eyes when he released his grasp of her wrists and watched her rub them a little. "Get out of here, both of you." Stefan's voice was booming and filled with hatred toward the woman that he once held in a very high regard. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that she too loved Ben. He was a very lovable little boy. However, for her to think that she could just waltz into his apartment and take him like this, was totally wrong. She barely had any rights to him as it was anyways.

"I said, get the hell out of here!" He shouted, pointing to the door for her and Kai to leave. He didn't say a word, just simply got up and opened the door as Aubrey crossed her arms and stood there, staring at Stefan. "You know, that after you're gone. He would be way better off with me. All Elena ever did was leave him. To be honest, I won't be surprised if she does it again."

Stefan shook his head, closing his eyes to contain the anger that was boiling up within him. "You know what, Aubrey? My son is perfectly fine where he's at right now, with his birth mother. Besides, everyone makes mistakes and to be honest, looking at you. I see one in front of me right now. Trust me, darling. If you want to fight me over custody of Ben. You can go right ahead. But you don't have any rights to him as you're just his stepmother. So, that would be rendered useless. Like I said before, I'll see you in Florida in a few weeks to negotiate the terms of our divorce, Aubrey." Slamming the door shut in her face, Stefan leaned against it, inhaling sharply. The bedroom door could be heard opening slowly as Ben hesitantly made his way into the living room, giving his dad a heartbreaking look.

"What's wrong, Ben?" Stefan asked him, bending down in front of his son as Ben wrapped his arms around his father, tightly embracing him. "I don't you to be mad at me, daddy." He said in a voice just above a whisper. Stefan kissed his cheek and then backed away from him. Both of his hands were on each side of Ben's face as Stefan cupped his face into the palm of his hands and stared directly into Ben's eyes while he spoke. "Never in a million years would I or could I be mad at you. Buddy, I'm just going through a lot of adult stuff that you don't understand. However, I promise you that one day. You'll get it. But, you need to know that you didn't do anything to upset me. You could never make me mad." Stefan glanced up to see Elena leaning against the door frame of his master bedroom, wiping away tears. He was so good with Ben. Stefan was an amazing father and watching the two of them together made her heart swell with pride and joy.

She slowly began walking towards him, noticing the weakness and pale color of his usually vibrant facial features. Elena walked closer to him, bending down as she asked Stefan if he was okay. The image he had in front of his face of her and of Ben was spinning. The whole room was spinning suddenly and his chest felt like it was on fire. A deep chest pain struck him hard as he clutched onto his left side and fell on to the ground. "Stefan! Stefan, please. Stay with me!" Elena shouted out, grabbing her cell phone and telling Ben to go into the other room.

"He's going to be okay, baby. Your dad is going to be okay." She reassured the little boy while her shaking hands dialed 911. The ringing on the other line felt like it was taking an eternity until she finally got through and said in a trembling voice. "I need an ambulance! Please hurry. He's unconscious and not breathing. Please, you need to help him!"


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Remember Me- Chapter Seventeen

Elena held his hand tightly, closing her eyes while tears cascading down her cheeks. "He's going to be okay." She told Ben, holding him against her chest as she kissed the top of his head. Ben turned in her arms, clutching onto her.

"You know, sweetie." Elena began to say, choking back tears as she cupped Ben's face into the palm of her hands. "I used to hold you like this when you were just a little baby. You used to cry and I'd place my hand onto your cheek, soothing your cries until you would just look at me with so much wonder in those beautiful eyes of yours. Ben, I know that I've missed a lot in your life. But, I'm going to make up for it. You need to just give me some time. I promise, I'm never leaving again. Sweetheart, I love you so much." Elena admitted, kissing her son's face as they both sat in the hallway of the Emergency Room area anxiously waiting for news about Stefan.

Elena exhaled deeply, watching the doctors pass by them. She yawned loudly as she watched a young doctor in a white coat stop near them, look down at his chart for a moment and then he extended out his hand. "Miss Gilbert?" She heard him announce as his gleaming blue eyes met her darkened brown gaze and he smiled at her softly while extending out his hand. "I'm Doctor Donovan. I'm Stefan's oncologist and I'm the one overseeing his care." He explained as Elena nodded her head at the blonde haired young man, who seemed oddly familiar.

"Dr. Donovan. Matt?" She asked hesitantly, swallowing down the fear she felt talking about Stefan's dire prognosis. But, looking at him. Elena had to do a double take until the pieces all fell into place as to why he was so familiar to her.

"Matt Donovan from Oregon State? What the hell are you doing here, out of all places?" Elena asked him, watching as he gave her a perplexed look and he glanced down at the little boy who was fast asleep on a chair beside where Elena had been sitting.

"I could ask you the same question. How do you know, Stefan?" He asked her as she glanced down at Ben and leaned forward, giving him a soft smile.

"We have a son together and a very complicated long history…." Her voice trailed off while she placed her hand onto Matt's arm and noticed a wedding ring.

"You're married." She commented with an observant tone, watching as Matt's face fell and he exhaled heavily, looking down at his shoes with a sorrowful look before he explained. "I was. My wife, Penney died in a car accident over a year ago. I moved up here to be closer to work after we graduated from Oregon State University and so that my daughter, Claire could live with me, instead of her grandparents in Oregon." He clarified as Elena nodded her head, smiling.

Matt licked his bottom lip, inhaling sharply and giving Elena a sweet smile. "So, how long have you and Stefan been married?" He asked her, forcing Elena to take a step back.

Shaking her head, she quickly corrected him. "We're not. Um, he and I were engaged and I got pregnant with our son. But, for now, we're just trying to figure things out…" Her voice trailed off as she quickly changed the subject.

"How old is your daughter, Claire?" Elena asked as Matt smiled proudly, taking out his cell phone and showing her a photo of the blonde haired little girl with bright blue eyes like her father.

"She's six years old." He said, pointing over at Ben and asking the same question.

"Ben's six too. You know," She began to say as Matt tightened his grip around Stefan's chart.

"Maybe after Stefan starts feeling better, we can all meet up and the kids could have a play date?" He asked her as she shrugged her shoulders back and smiled. "We'll see." Was all she could say before her mind drifted back to the real reason as to why he was standing in front of her.

"Stefan's awake. So, if you want to see him, you both are more than welcome to go in. I have to just go over his test results with him and then I'm on my way to the next patient." He replied to her as Elena nodded her head, telling Matt that it was good to see him and that she'd stay in touch. Elena took a seat back in her chair as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back, praying that Stefan's test results would come back with an all clear.

"So, doc. When can I bust of out this joint?" Stefan asked Matt jokingly, slowly lifting himself up from his hospital bed as Matt laughed a little, taking a seat beside him and suddenly becoming very serious in his tone and facial features.

"I'm afraid not for a while…" His voice trailed off as Stefan watched him flip through his chart and scan his eyes over a few documents and what looked like new scans and blood work.

"You're white blood cell count is really low and because of that, you're not out of the woods yet. Stefan, the reason you passed out at home and ended up here is because your blood tests revealed aplastic anemia. Which is when your body stops producing enough new blood cells and it leaves you feeling fatigued and it can cause other concerns as well. Now, we can treat it with medications or blood transfusion and see if those work for to fix it for a little while." Matt elaborated as Stefan closed his eyes, feeling even more angered at himself than he had before. He was exhausted and this battle to live was starting to feel like it wasn't really worth it anymore.

"How long, Matt? How bad is it this time?" Stefan asked honestly, his tone more so as if he was asking a longtime friend than his doctor.

"We're going to beat this, Stefan. I promise." He told him, getting up from his seat as he patted Stefan's shoulder and then paused near the closed door for a moment, pivoting back to the young man in the hospital bed that looked frail and pale instead of his usual vibrant facial features and beaming green eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were involved with Elena?" He asked suddenly, hearing Stefan let out a small laugh.

"You never asked me if I spoke with her anymore, Matt. I mean, you and I had chatted about her from time to time over the years because we both knew her. But, that was it. Look, I know that you two dated in college and that you broke up with her after she left Oregon and moved to Florida to help out Jenna. But, she never knew about our connection. She still doesn't know that you and I were best friends in high school when we both were living in Miami. And, that now you're the man who's trying to save my life here in Seattle. How ironic is that?" Stefan exhaled heavily, eyeing Matt up and down as he fidgeted his weight from one side to the other, pointing back behind him.

"Stefan, I just ran into her. Out in the waiting room….I guess the cat's out of the bag." He explained as Stefan ran his fingers through his thinning hair and shook his head. "Are you fucking kidding me, Donovan?" He asked in a joking manner, a little stunned at the revelation himself.

Matt shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head. "No, I'm not. Your little boy is out there too. Listen, Stefan. I am going to do everything in my power and everything that medicine allows to help you beat this cancer diagnosis. So that you can live a happy life with your son and with Elena. Because, You know, I can see it on her face…" His voice trailed off as Stefan asked in a soft tone. "See what?"

He smiled, placing his hand onto the doorknob when he remarked with a grin. "How in love with you she is and how scared of this disease she is. Scared that it's going to take you away from her and from your little boy. That woman out there doesn't want to lose you. Believe me, if there's one thing about Elena Gilbert is- it's this- her heart is pure and when she loves someone. She loves them with everything she's got. So, with that being said. I'm going to go write up some prescriptions so that we can figure out what to do next regarding your treatment. And, I'll leave you three alone for a while." He commented, opening the door as he told Elena that she could go in and see Stefan now.

"Matt Donovan! Tristan Donovan's younger brother? The same guy you played high school football with?" Caroline spat out her coffee hours later when Stefan called her up to explain what was going on with things in Seattle.

"Yeah, I wish I was kidding. My old oncologist got resigned and over the last few weeks, I've been seeing Matt…" Stefan's voice trailed off as Caroline took a seat beside Klaus and she explained to her husband briefly as to who they were talking about. Klaus laughed, asking Stefan if it was weird being treated by the man who used to sleep with his ex-fiancé.

"Believe me. It's been bizarre." He coughed out. "So, how are things there? Is my soon to be ex-wife wreaking havoc?" Stefan questioned, trying to change the subject because talking about Matt and Elena's past relationship was just really odd for him to do.

"Last I heard, she's still fuming from your little spat that happened there. Honestly, I think she really does think she can try to fight you for custody of Ben. But, the woman can't get it through her head that she doesn't have any parental rights to him as long as you and Elena are both in his life. So, her hands are tied. She did hire a really good lawyer though for the divorce proceedings. She's probably stupid enough to think that she can take you for everything you're worth." Klaus told him, adding in that their business ventures were still going strong and that Rebekah was working on plans that involved everyone and she was trying to come up with a new name for their realty business since SD Realty couldn't be used anymore and she wanted something fresh and brand new.

"So, is she involving her husband into this too? He could be our lawyer to represent the company internationally…" Stefan began to say as both Klaus and Caroline overhead Elena's voice scolding Stefan for not resting and talking business matters over the phone.

"Look, I should be home in two weeks, for my first divorce meeting with Aubrey. Anyways, we can finish talking about this then." Stefan informed them as Elena gave him a stern look and took the phone out of his hands, telling Caroline and Klaus a quick hello and that they'd be home soon to talk about everything. "We miss you guys and love you both. Kisses to everyone from us!" Elena exclaimed while she concluded the phone call and hung up.

Stefan turned towards her, sternly staring at her. "I wasn't finished talking." He commented while Elena exhaled heavily.

"I know. But, you nearly died on me and I have a little boy outside in the waiting room who can hardly wait to see his father. So, Caroline and Klaus. Can wait with their business talk. Because our son can't wait to see you." Elena told him, pushing the door open as Ben rushed over to Stefan and jumped onto the bed, wrapping his arms around his father's neck tightly as he snuggled up against him and cried out. "Daddy, you're okay!"

Elena watched Stefan stroke Ben's hair, leaving a kiss on his forehead when the little boy backed away from him for a moment and placed both of his hands onto his face. "You scared me." He commented, watching Stefan give him a saddened look. The last thing that he had ever wanted was for Ben to see him sick, hurt or worse, dying. He had promised himself years ago that he was going to do everything in his power to protect his son from the cruelties of the world until he was old enough to understand them. Yet, as fate would have it. Ben had already been exposed to Stefan's illness and the little boy was terrified of losing his protector.

"I know, buddy. I'm sorry that I did that. I promise that it won't happen again." He told him, watching Ben rest his head onto his chest while Stefan wrapped his arms around him tightly and sighed deeply.

"Daddy, when can we go home? I miss Duke." Ben replied as Stefan chuckled a little, he hadn't thought about the dog in at least a few weeks. But, oddly enough he kind of missed him too.

"Ben, I'm going to have to stay here for a little while longer until I feel better. But, I promise you that I'll be home soon too. Your aunt Katherine is coming here in two days to pick you up and take you back home to Duke." Stefan commented as the little boy began to pout at his father. "But, I want you to come with me too, daddy! You need to come with me too!" He said, tugging on Stefan's hospital gown while Stefan gave Elena a knowing look and she inhaled sharply before Ben began throwing a tantrum in his father's lap.

"Honey, how about you and I go get something from the cafeteria and let your dad rest for a bit?" She offered as Ben crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head. "No! I wanna stay here!" He told her in a stern and angry tone. It broke Elena's heart. Ben was too young to understand exactly as to why Stefan had to stay in the hospital for a few days. However, after a few attempts of trying to make him understand a bit better, she had given up.

"Okay. I'm going to go and I'll be right back. Stay here with your dad." She told him as Ben snuggled back up against Stefan's chest and Elena glanced over at them both for a minute. "Do you want anything?" She asked Stefan, watching him shake his head. "Too nauseous." He replied simply before she nodded her head with an understanding look and left the room without another word.

"You know," Katherine began to say as the front door to Stefan and Aubrey's home opened and she leaned against it, Damon's arms crossed over his chest while he stood behind his pissed off looking wife.

"I heard about the stunt you pulled in Seattle. And, you know, Aubrey. Ignoring my phone calls to talk about it and tell you how stupid that was, never really makes matters better. In my experience, it makes them worse!" Katherine told her, pushing her way inside of the house as she glanced around the room. Boxes were packed and the house didn't feel as welcome anymore as it had once been when Ben and Stefan were both living there. Now, it felt cold and lonely.

"What ever happened between Stefan and I is only are business. Now, what are you really here for, Katherine?" She asked as the brunette scanned the room and walked over to their couch, kicking up her legs onto the coffee table while Damon took a seat beside her and then he spoke.

"We came for Duke." He said simple, shrugged his shoulders back and placing his arm around his wife as Katherine gave Aubrey a big fake smile before she stated. "All we want is the dog and a few things of Stefan's. Damon and I are going back to Seattle together in a few days and I thought that Duke would be a welcoming comfort for everyone." She explained as Aubrey scoffed.

"He's part of a custody battle at the moment." She replied when Katherine let out an annoyed laughed, shaking her head and sliding her feet off of the table as she got up and began tapping her foot against the tile floors of their home.

"And, that is where you're wrong. Let me school you on a little bit of Stefan Salvatore's relationship history. Before he met Elena. There was a slew of women that he fooled around with. One in particular comes to mind at the moment and she gave him that dog. He foolishly fell in love with and married her. Rebekah Mikaelson…" Her voice trailed off as Damon too stood up and rubbed his hands over his face for a moment before he added in. "You see, when Rebekah left Stefan with the dog. She also left him this house. But, the first thing that Stefan noticed was the big ass German Shepard in his backyard that liked to chew up his Italian loafers. So in that case, he's not yours, Aubrey. Because my brother's the legal owner of that dog. When Rebekah left him, she gave up her rights to Duke. So, technically, the dog has already been through a custody battle and Stefan's won him." Damon explained, placing his hands into his pockets as he rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet before he concluded. "Now, where is he?"

Aubrey shrugged her shoulders back, popped her neck to the side and pointed to the backyard. "You two didn't notice anything missing?" She asked them as she watched Katherine and Damon give one another a perplexed look and then it dawned on them.

"You gave away the dog?" Damon spat out viciously, standing in front of Aubrey angrily while she explained. "Of course, I did. He was a real big pain in my ass. Howling all the time and shitting everywhere. Thankfully now, that big floppy eared mutt is at the humane society. Oh come on, Damon! That dog is old and fragile. And, with Stefan being as sick as he is. I highly doubt he'd even have time for him anymore. In my opinion, it's the best choice for everyone." She said as Katherine's anger grew. If she could have strangled the woman to death without going to prison, she would have!

"How could you do that! He's a comfort to both Ben and Stefan! I told you that I was going to come back for him. You didn't have the right!" Katherine shouted out, nearly storming out of the house and slamming the door behind her. But, Damon quickly stopped his wife.

"Which shelter, Aubrey? Which one did you leave him at and when?" Damon demanded to know as she smiled maliciously at him and stated in a cold hearted tone. "These last few days have been such a blur for me. With the divorce and everything. You know, I can't really recall which one it was. But," Pausing and glancing down at her watch, Aubrey replied with a big evil grin. "As of right now. You and that annoying wife of yours have about 48 hours to find the stupid old dog before the shelter kills him. So, good luck!"


End file.
